Erythropoietin production in virulent malaria.

Erythropoietin, the hormone responsible for stimulating erythrocyte production, was shown to increase significantly in the serum of mice during virulent malaria infection. Although erythropoiesis was enhanced, it did not keep pace with the rate of erythocyte destruction; hence all Plasmodium berghei-infected mice quickly succumbed to the deleterious consequences of severe uncompensated hemolytic anemia. Since this apparently inadequate rate of erythropoiesis is not attributed to impaired erythropoietin generation, mechanisms relating to (i) hemopoietic stem-cell resistance to endogenous erythropoietin, (ii) deficits in numbers of hemopoietic stem cells, and/or (iii) ineffective erythropoiesis are of interest.