Trypanosoma brucei-cultivation in vitro of infective forms derived from the midgut of Glossina morsitans.

Infective forms of Trypanosoma brucei derived from the midgut of Glossina morsitans, have been propagated in vitro for 61 days on a bovine embryonic spleen (BESP) feeder layer using RPMI 1640 medium. It was reproducibly shown that only parasites cultured from the midgut of tsetse flies 12-14 hr after feeding on infected animals could be established in vitro. Cultures thus established were infective to rats and tsetse flies. Only midgut vector types of the parasites were identified by light and electron microscopic techniques.