The preservation in liquid nitrogen of tsetse flies and phlebotomine sandflies naturally infected with trypanosomatid flagellates

Abstract
Previous work on the preservation of insect tissues and of parasitic protozoa at low temperatures is briefly discussed. Methods are described by which wild tsetse flies and phlebotomine sandflies were successfully preserved for long periods in liquid nitrogen. Trypanosoma spp. and other trypanosomatid flagellates naturally infecting these insects survived the freezing process well, with no obvious loss of viability or infectivity. The deep-freeze preservation of whole infected insects has a useful function as a field technique for the later study of population and infection parameters; it is also valuable for the preservation of viable trypanosomatid parasites in vivo and in situ in their natural vectors.