Haemolytic anaemia in the Gunn rat following transplantation of isolated hepatocytes injected with Haemobartonella muris.

Extensively purified preparations of isolated rat hepatocytes derived from Wistar rats infected with Haemobartonella muris induced haemolytic anaemia when injected into congenitally jaundiced Gunn rats. In the absence of overt parasitaemia and marked falls in haematocrit, elevation of total plasma bilirubin levels was a valuable indicator of red-cell destruction. Evidence is presented that the parasite is removed by the spleen from the surface of infected red cells which then remain in the circulation.