During the early stages of the primary Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi AS parasitaemia in CBA/Ca mice this parasite invaded normocytes, but as the parasitaemia developed increasing numbers of parasites were seen within reticulocytes. During and just after peak parasitaemia, as further parasite replication was controlled, the ‘crisis’ phase ensued, mice became increasingly anaemic and reticulocyte numbers were markedly increased. As the parasitaemia was resolved during crisis in excess of 25% of parasites had invaded reticulocytes. In phenylhydrazine-pretreated mice with artificially high reticulocyte levels and infected with P. c. chabaudi AS, normocyte/reticulocyte invasion occurred with equal frequency. No reduction in the infectivity of parasite populations developing in reticulocytes was observed.
