A basophilic micro-organism infecting human red cells.
Clusters and chains of basophilic micro-organisms were found on the red cells of a woman who suffered from malignant melanoma. The infection was clinically silent for at least 7 years. During her last year of life the patient became febrile and anaemic. Her spleen enlarged and the basophilic bodies on her red cells became coarser. The infecting organism is referred to only as a 'basophilic agent', since its relationships to recognized genera are uncertain. Similar epierythrocytic parasites occur in a wide variety of animals. Though these infections are often latent, they profoundly modify host immune responses.
D000328:Adult; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology