Adaptation of a 5CG-Desiccator for in-vitro cultivation of Trypanosoma brucei brucei

Abstract

In vitro cultivation of salivarian species of trypanosomes requires the use of a CO₂-incubator, an equipment which is rarely available, expensive and relies on steady source of electricity. This study has successfully adapted a “5CG-dessicator” as a simpler and cheaper set-up for in vitro cultivation of Trypanosoma brucei brucei. Optimization study  revealed that the parasite grow better in 20 % horse or gaot  serum when supplemented with 0.1-1 %(w/v) glucose at 27 ^o C and when the pH of the culture medium ranges between 7.2 to 8.0. Cultured parasites from this system were infective to laboratory mice, morphologically identical to bloodstream forms, and could be subcultured on 96-wells microtitre plate. It is believed that this approach will prove invaluable in field work and in the micro assessment of EC₅₀ /IC_50­­ values of plant-derived extracts.