Mechanisms of anemia in Aleutian disease viral infection of mink

Mink with Aleutian disease developed severe anemia within a few months after infection. Evaluation of erythropoiesis and erythrocyte survival demonstrated that the anemia was caused by increased erythrocyte destruction, complicated in some cases by decreased or inadequate erythropoiesis. An inverse relationship existed between the amount of IgG on affected mink erythrocytes and the erythrocyte half-life. However, the number of IgG molecules/erythrocyte were not high enough to be detected by direct Coombs' test, with the exception of one case. Inadequate erythropoiesis was reflected by lower plasma iron turnover levels and reticulocyte numbers than expected considering the severity of the anemia involved.