Erythrocyte Production in Mice Infected by the Polycythaemia‐Inducing Friend Virus or by the Anaemia‐Inducing Friend Virus

Abstract

S ummary . The changes induced by infection with the anaemia‐inducing (FVA) or the polycythaemia‐inducing (FVP) strain of Friend virus on PCV, RBC, reticulocyte counts, red‐cell and plasma volume and reticulocyte maturation time were studied in Swiss mice for 7 weeks after viral infection. The data indicated that the increase in total blood volume is mainly due to the augmentation of the spleen and liver blood volume in FVA‐disease, whereas it results from the large numbers of red cells produced by the spleen in FVP‐disease. The daily output of reticulocytes was increased four‐fold in FVA infected mice, and thirty‐fold in FVP infected mice by the 50th day post‐infection. The total redcell production for the duration of the experiment was 3 times normal for the FVA group and 13 times normal for the FVP group. A theoretical estimate of the mean red‐cell lifespan in infected mice gave 8 1/2 days for the FVP‐disease and 22 days for the FVA‐disease as opposed to 40 days for the normal mouse.