Liddell K G, Lucas S B, Williams H
Parasitology. 1981 Apr;82(Pt 2):205-24. doi: 10.1017/s0031182000056948.
A strain of the cattle piroplasm Babesia divergens isolated from a fatal human infection was propagated in the Mongolian gerbil through 150 semi-continuous intraperitoneal passages. The infection was normally fatal; death, accompanied by profuse haemoglobinuria and debilitation, occurred as early as 44 h after intraperitoneal inoculation of heavily parasitized blood with precipitous drops in red blood cell and platelet counts. The average maximum parasitaemia achieved increased on continuous passage reaching 80% by the 150th stage. Twenty-four hours after infection erythrophagocytosis and splenic congestion were apparent by light and electron-microscopical examination and by 48 h hepatic necrosis, renal tubular damage with haemoglobin cast accumulation and ischaemic necrosis of ileal mucosa had developed. Gerbils were highly susceptible to small numbers of parasites when the inoculum was either fresh parasitized blood in high dilution or erythrocytes concentrated from animals showing minimal parasitaemia. Animals inoculated with parasites preserved in dimethyl sulphoxide at low temperatures usually developed fatal infections. However, occasionally animals suffered at most a low grade parasitaemia subsequent to recovery with parasite elimination. These animals were immune to further challenge, and no chronic infections developed. A field strain of B. divergens isolated locally from a case of bovine redwater behaved similarly to the human strain on continuous passage in gerbils.
从一例致命的人类感染中分离出的牛梨形虫——分歧巴贝斯虫菌株，在蒙古沙鼠体内经150次半连续腹腔传代培养。该感染通常是致命的；死亡伴随着大量血红蛋白尿和身体虚弱，早在腹腔接种大量寄生血液后44小时就会发生，同时红细胞和血小板计数急剧下降。连续传代后，平均最大寄生虫血症水平有所增加，到第150代时达到80%。感染24小时后，光镜和电镜检查可见红细胞吞噬作用和脾充血，48小时后出现肝坏死、肾小管损伤伴血红蛋白管型积聚以及回肠黏膜缺血性坏死。当接种物为高稀释度的新鲜寄生血液或从寄生虫血症最低的动物中浓缩的红细胞时，沙鼠对少量寄生虫高度敏感。接种低温保存在二甲基亚砜中的寄生虫的动物通常会发生致命感染。然而，偶尔有动物在恢复并清除寄生虫后最多出现低度寄生虫血症。这些动物对再次感染具有免疫力，且未发生慢性感染。从一例牛红尿病病例中本地分离出的分歧巴贝斯虫野外菌株，在沙鼠体内连续传代时的表现与人类菌株相似。
