Metabolism of Schizotrypanum cruzi Chagas. I. Effect of Culture Age and Substrate Concentration on Respiratory Rate

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Abstract
Growth, nitrogen content, and respiratory behavior of culture forms of Schizotrypanum cruzi were determined in a diphasic medium and in a sheep blood brain-heart infusion medium. Quantitative differences in organisms grown on the 2 media was observed: (a) N content/106 organisms grown on brain heart infusion was 1.10 [mu]g; in diphasic medium 1.76 [mu]g (b) Respiration per unit organism in diphasic medium was significantly higher than that observed for brain-heart infusion. Respiration per unit N was not significantly different. (c) The peak population in diphasic medium is higher than that observed with brain-heart infusion. The respiratory rate of culture forms of S. cruzi increases with increasing age of culture. The percent stimulation of endogenous respiration by glucose was constant throughout the age groups studied. Respiration was found to be independent of parasite concentration and substrate concentration.