Abstract
Summary
Studies of erythroeytic indices and osmotic response revealed the presence of 2 abnormal populations of cells in hamsters infected with Plasmodium bergkei. One population consisted of mature nonpar asitized cells which became abnormally small and spherocytic with a diminished cellular surface area. This cell shrinkage could result from the hypersplenism of malaria or possibly from immunologic membrane damage. The other population was composed of parasitized re-ticulocytes which exhibited an increased rate of swelling in hypotonic saline, indicating impairment of the normal restricted cation permeability.
The authors wish to thank Mr. Earl H. Fife, Jr., for his critical review of this paper, Mr. Albert E. von Doenhoff, Jr., for assistance with these experiments and Mrs. Sophia Tate for help with preparation of the manuscript.
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