African Trypanosomes: Cultivation of Animal-Infective <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i> in Vitro

Abstract

Trypanosoma brucei grew in the presence of bovine fibroblast-like cells in Hepes-buffered RPMI 1640 medium with 20 percent fetal bovine serum for more than 220 days at 37 degrees C. The organisms grown in this system were infective to mammalian hosts, retained the morphological and biochemical characteristics of long slender bloodstream forms, and displayed variant-antigen on their surfaces.