PERSISTENCE OF EHRLICHIA-PHAGOCYTOPHILA INFECTION IN LAMBS IN RELATION TO CLINICAL-PARAMETERS AND ANTIBODY-RESPONSES

Five lambs were infected experimentally with Ehrlichia phagocytophila and examined regularly during the next six months. The lambs all had r ecurrences of parasitaemia at various times but had a fever on only 21 per cent of these occasions. A reduced number of leucocytes was obser ved in all the lambs for at least eight weeks. All the lambs were stil l infected four months after inoculation with E phagocytophila. After six months, blood from four of the five Iambs was infective when inocu lated into susceptible lambs.