Summary
Cats with the Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) have a platelet storage pool deficiency
(SPD). Ten CHS cats were transfused with a concentrate of 51Cr-labeled platelets prepared from normal donor cats. Gne hour after transfusion,
the donor platelet count in CHS recipient cats was 40,000-60,000/μl. Bleeding time
before transfusion was 9.1 ± 3.0 min. When donor platelet count in CHS cats was 50,000/μl,
bleeding time was 1.7 ± 0.2 min. Bleeding time of normal cats was 1.4 ± 0.3 min. Bleeding
time increased to 3.3 ± 0.2 min and to 5.3 ± 0.2 min when the platelet count was 30,000/μl,
and 15,000/μl, respectively. The close inverse relationship between bleeding time
and number of donor platelets in CHS cats (r = —0.92), suggests that prolonged bleeding time is due to a platelet abnormality,
that platelet transfusion can effectively correct prolonged bleeding time in an animal
model of platelet SPD and that CHS cats may be an appropriate animal model to evaluate
hemostatic capabilities of transfused platelets.