Human Malaria Parasites in Continuous Culture
Abstract
Plasmodium falciparum can now be maintained in continuous culture in human erythrocytes incubated at 38 degrees C in RPMI 1640 medium with human serum under an atmosphere with 7 percent carbon dioxide and low oxygen (1 or 5 percent). The original parasite material, derived from an infected Aotus trivirgatus monkey, was diluted more than 100 million times by the addition of human erythrocytes at 3- or 4-day intervals. The parasites continued to reproduce in their normal asexual cycle of approximately 48 hours but were no longer highly synchronous. They have remained infective to Aotus.
- Publication:
-
Science
- Pub Date:
- August 1976
- DOI:
- 10.1126/science.781840
- Bibcode:
- 1976Sci...193..673T