Babesia hylomysci in mice: Preference for erythrocytes of a particular age-group and pathogenesis of the anaemia.

Scintillation counting on 59Fe-labelled haemoglobin in erythrocytes, serum and urine during B. hylomysci infection in mice demonstrated that the parasite had a predilection to older mature erythrocytes and that the anaemia produced during the infection was mainly due to the direct destruction of infected erythrocytes. An autoimmune reaction has also been incriminated as a factor in the pathogenesis of the anaemia, but was of a lesser magnitude and its manifestations were masked by the direct destruction of infected erythrocytes.