Reticulocytes in peripheral blood of mice infected with Trypanosoma brucei: dramatic decrease of reticulocytes during primary wave of parasitemia.

Infection of mice with rapidly proliferating trypanosomes that killed the mice in the first or second wave of parasitemia led to a dramatic decrease of immature erythrocytes in the peripheral blood during the primary wave of parasitemia. Trypanosome variants producing lower first waves of parasitemia, and/or less rapid deaths, caused a variable, on the average small, decrease of immature erythrocytes. Trypanosome variants causing rapidly lethal infections killed the mice before a decrease of immature erythrocytes became apparent.