Growth of infective forms of Trypanosoma (T.) brucei on buffalo lung and Chinese hamster lung tissue culture cells.

Infective cultures of Trypanosoma (T.) brucei (strain 427) have been initiated and maintained on Chinese hamster lung tissue culture cells and buffalo lung tissue culture cells. By changing daily one-third of the RPMI-1640 plus 20% fetal bovine serum medium, the cell numbers can be maintained at 2--4 X 10(6) cells/ml. The cultured trypanosomes on these two tissue culture cell types were infective to mice and morphologically similar to bloodstream slender trypomastigotes in having a subterminal kinetoplast and a surface coat. In addition, they possessed the L-alpha-glycerophosphate oxidase, the predominant steady state terminal oxidase identified in bloodstream trypomastigotes.