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Studies on Feline Haemobartonellosis : II. The Mechanism of Anemia Produced by Infection with Haemobartonella felis

1975; Japanese Society of Veterinary Science; Volume: 37; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1292/jvms1939.37.49

1881-1442

Yoshimitsu Maede, Ryoji Hata,

Bird parasitology and diseases

The mechanism of anemia in feline haemobartonellosis was examined with 15 cats as experimental animals. Haemobartonella felis appeared on erythrocytes 3 to 18 days, or 6.7 days on an average, after inoculation. The erythrocyte count, hematocrit and hemoglobin decreased in value in the 15 cats over a period of appearance of H. felis on erythrocytes. They tended, however, to return gradually to their previous levels immediately after the disappearance of H. felis from erythrocytes. On the contrary, the osmotic fragility of the erythrocyte showed a marked increase immediately following the appearance of H. felis, but it showed no recovery even when the parasite disappeared from erythrocytes. The direct Coombs test became positive in all the animals for 15 days on an average after the first appearance of H. felis on erythrocytes. Erythrophagocytosis by mononuclear cells or rarely by neutrophils was observed in blood smears of 11 animals for 19.5 days on an average from the first appearance of H. felis. From these results, it is conjectured that parasitized erythrocytes may probably be sequestrated by reticuloendothelium of the spleen or some other organ, but that some of them may return soon to the circulating blood by getting free from the parasite in spite of some damage caused by the parasite. What damage H. felis does to erythrocytes will be studied in future.