The relationship of erythrocyte age and parasitization with Plasmodium gallinaceum in chickens.

Erythrocyte labeling by random and cohort techniques was used to study erythrocyte survival in normal chickens and in chickens infected with Plasmodium gallinaceum. White Leghorn chickens, eight weeks of age, were used in this series of experiments. In chickens given P. gallinaceum on the day following erythrocyte labeling there was destruction of labeled erythrocytes at a much more rapid rate than would result from normal ageing processes. Chickens given P. gallinaceum 12, 18 and 21 days after the labeling of the erythrocytes failed to show any greater destruction of the labeled red cells beyond that resulting from normal senescence. This result indicates that erythrocytes over 12 days of age are not destroyed by P. gallinaceum.