Trypanosoma brucei: in vitro propagation of metacyclic forms derived from the salivary glands of Glossina morsitans

Abstract

1 Metacyclic forms of Trypanosoma brucei obtained from the salivary glands of the tsetse fly, Glossina morsitans have been cultured for the first time in their infective forms for more than 200 days in continuous culture. The parasites were grown at 25 C and 30 C on a bovine embryonic spleen (BESP) feeder layer in buffered RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with 20% heat-inactivated bovine fetal serum (BFS) and 5% lactalbumin hydrolysate. Initial growth rate was enhanced when normal, noninfected, salivary glands were added to the cultures. The parasites thus cultured appeared like slender or intermediate blood stream forms which were infective to rats and mice. Addition of rat anti-T. brucei specific antiserum to the cultures caused agglutination of the parasites and rendered them noninfective. This study opens up new areas of investigating sleeping sickness. The cultured metacyclic parasites have the potential of being applied as antigens for controlling African trypanosomiasis.