[Experimental studies of anemia in cattle caused by immune antibody. 1. Release of an immune antibody-induced anemia].

Subclinical moderate to medium haemolytic anaemia may be produced in cattle by intravenous slow drip infusion of erythrozyte-specific serum with immune antibody. Anisocytosis may be caused to appear in the blood count even by low-quantity intravenous application of iso-immune serum. Increase in serum quantity will lead to predominance of small erythrocytes (microspherocytes). The Price-Jones curve is likely to shift to the left and will flatten. The detection of microspherocytes actually reflects an antigen-antibody reaction caused by transmission of iso-immune antibody and resulting in partial damage of the erythrocyte membrane rather than in complete erythrocytolysis. The absence of both haemoglobinaemia and haemoglobinuria seems to support the assumption that premature degradation of the damaged erythrocytes takes place extravasally in the reticulohistiocytary system.