Attempts to induce a demonstrable cattle Babesia infection by feeding known infected ticks on two white-tailed (Odocoileus virginianus) deer were unsuccessful. The injection of known Babesia carrier blood into an intact and a splenectomized deer failed to result in evidence of infection.

All deer were checked for possible sub-patent infections by inoculating their blood into splenectomized calves at weekly intervals for 5 weeks following exposure, but no infections were produced in the calves.

Babsia infected ticks having undergone one generation on deer were unable to transmit infection to splenectomized calves on the succeeding generation.