Twenty renal biopsy specimens taken from 17 patients with anaphylactoid purpura were examined by light and electron microscope. Virus‐like microtubular inclusions were observed in the glomerular endothelium of 4 specimens from 3 patients. They consisted of interwoven microtubular structures measuring 200–280 Å and often appeared to be branched. Identical structures have been reported in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and given the specificity for the diagnosis. However, the observations of apparently identical structures in patients with renal disease other than systemic lupus evoked a question to its specificity. The presence of the structures in patients with anaphylactoid purpura and systemic lupus erythematosus suggested some similarity of these two conditions. The exact nature of the structures is unknown at pre