Science, Vol 197, Issue 4310, 1279-1282
Copyright © 1977 by American Association for the Advancement of Science
Infectivity reacquisition by Trypanosoma brucei brucei cultivated with tsetse salivary glands
I Cunningham
and
BM Honigberg
Reacquisition of infectivity four mice was observed in cultures of Trypanosoma brucei brucei grown in the presence of tests fly salivary gland explants in a medium based on the amino acid composition of Glossina hemolymph and containing fetal bovine serum. High infection rates were obtained in mice inoculated with about 1.5 X 10(8) organisms. Infectivity reacquisition was correlated with invasion of the salivary glands by the parasites. Few small trypanosomes with subterminal kinetoplasts (metacyclic-like forms) were found in the infective inoculums. The parasitemias in mice consisted of pleomorphic cultivable trypanosomes. Cultures initiated by these organisms and then placed with the head-salivary gland preparations became infective for mice.
