Differentiation of Trypanosoma cruzi in Culture*

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Abstract
SYNOPSIS. A medium containing sodium and potassium chloride, phosphate buffer, glucose, calf serum, hemoglobin and lactalbumin hydrolysate permits some growth and differentiation of crithidiae into the metacyclic forms of Trypanosoma cruzi. The addition of ox liver infusion greatly enhances the growth promoting properties of this medium while making it very poor as far as differentiation is concerned. With dog heart infusion instead of ox liver, the medium is still good for growth but not much better for differentiation. If, however, the pH of the dog heart infusion medium is lowered from 7.2 to 6.7, it continues to be good for growth and becomes excellent for differentiation.Other factors were studied that stimulate or repress the rate of differentiation, such as preincubation at certain levels of temperature and the size and age of inocula.