Although the main symptom of Japanese bovine theileriosis is anemia, the precise mechanism is still unknown. We investigated the relationship between oxidative damage in erythrocytes and the development of anemia. It was observed that the increase in the parasitemia was accompanied with a lowering of hematocrit. At the peak of anemia, the concentrations of methemoglobin, erythrocyte membrane lipidperoxide and oxidized proteins of the erythrocyte membrane were markedly higher than before the infection. The present study suggests that oxidation of the erythrocytes was related to the development of anemia in T.sergenti infections. This oxidation might play a part in the of pathogenesis of anemia in Japanese bovine theileriosis.
(Lab. of Clinical Biochemistry, Hokkaido Research Station, TEL +81-11-851-5226)
