A serum-free, partly defined medium, PDM-805, for axenic cultivation of Entamoeba histolytica Schaudinn, 1903 and other Entamoeba.

We describe the first serum-free, partly defined medium (PDM-805) for cultivating the human enteric pathogen, Entamoeba histolytica, and the reptilian amebae E. barreti, E. invadens, and E. terrapinae. PDM-805 was developed by the stepwise replacement of yeast extract, bovine serum, and a casein peptone digest in TYI-S-33, a medium widely used for the axenic cultivation of these parasites. The defined components include amino acids, carbohydrates, B vitamins, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, thioctic acid, nucleic acid precursors, trace metals, and phosphate buffers. The undefined components include a highly purified bovine serum albumin, a lipoprotein-cholesterol solution from bovine serum, and a dialyzable, autoclavable, water-soluble growth factor(s) having a molecular weight of less than 3,500 prepared from casein peptone. To date, studies on the growth requirements of E. histolytica, strain 200:NIH, show the following are essential for sustained multiplication of this ameba: iron, glucose, biotin, folic acid, niacinamide, pantothenate, pyridoxal, riboflavin, thiamine, cysteine, an ammonium moiety (in addition to that present in cysteine), bovine serum albumin, lipoprotein-cholesterol, and casein peptone dialysate.