CHANGES IN BLOOD-SERUM CONSTITUENTS AND HEMATOLOGIC VALUES IN MACACA-MULATTA WITH ROCKY-MOUNTAIN SPOTTED-FEVER

  • 1 January 1976
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 37  (6) , 725-730
Abstract
Male M. mulatta (47), 3-4 kg wt, were inoculated i.v. or s.c. with various doses of yolk sac-grown Rickettsia rickettsii. Thirty-four macaques became febrile and exhibited signs of infection ranging from transient illness with a few days of fever to severe illness with subsequent death. Rash appeared more frequently in the macaques inoculated s.c. Febrile macaques that survived had leukocytosis, with concomitant neutrophila. Febrile macaques that died also had marked terminal leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Packed cell volume of all febrile macaques decreased. In almost all febrile macaques, there were increased serum urea N, glutamic-oxaloacetic transminase and lactate dehydrogenase, and decreased total serum protein and amylase concentrations. A few febrile macaques had increased bilirubin values and decreased Na, Cl, P and alkaline phosphatase concentrations. Changes did not occur in serum glucose, K, Ca and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase values. The experimental form of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in the macaque provides a subhuman primate model for studying the pathophysiology of this disease.

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