Exacerbation of latent erythrocytic infections in deer following splenectomy.

Eight adult deer and 4 fawns, from wild populations, were splenectomized and observed for evidence of hemo-parasitic relapses. The animals were maintained indoors under tick-free conditions and in the absence of known arthropod vectors. Following splenectomy 2 adult deer and 2 fawns developed acute Eperythrozoon infections, 3 adult deer developed acute Theileria infections, 2 adult deer developed a demonstrable Anaplasma marginale parasitemia, and 1 adult deer exhibited a low level parasitemia of a plasmodial-like intraerythrocytic parasite. The remaining deer failed to develop a parasitemia following splenectomy. In the absence of a specific parasitemia no drop occurred in packed cell volume following splenectomy.