Experimental porcine eperythrozoonosis: T-lymphocyte suppression and misdirected immune responses.

Immune responses and hematologic alterations were investigated in splenectomized pigs after IM inoculation with Eperythrozoon suis. Early hematologic alterations were massive parasitism of RBC, severe hypoglycemia, moderate bilirubinemia, and mild anemia; later findings included severe anemia, minimal parasitism of RBC, spontaneous agglutination of RBC at 25 C and 4 C which was reversible at 37 C, transient thrombocytopenia, and mild bilirubinemia. The humoral immune responses consisting of a transitory hyperglobulinemia and increase of indirect hemagglutination (IHA) titers against E suis were attributed to immunoglobulin M cold agglutinins. Cell-mediated immune responses, measured by phytohemagglutinin- and pokeweed mitogen-induced lymphocyte blastogenesis, were reduced after massive parasitemia. Blastogenesis induced by Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide mitogen was increased before the hyperglobulinemia and an increase in IHA titer. There was an increase in the uptake of [3H]thymidine by lymphocytes cultured without mitogens after the decline in total globulin concentration and IHA titer.