On the Cultivation and Biological Characters of Leishmania Tropica

Abstract

Summary The successful cultivation is reported of the Leishmania of oriental sore in a medium similar to that used by Noguchi for the cultivation of Leptospira icteroides. Whole blood is used in place of serum, and the agar employed contains a small amount of dextrose. The medium is prepared by adding one part of dextrose agar to nine parts of saline. The semisolid agar is then tubed and autoclaved. Before use, 0.3 to 0.5 cc. of fresh rabbit blood is added to each tube. Cultures were obtained from 3 cases of oriental sore from three different sources and were kept alive for periods ranging from two and one-half to three and one-half months. One culture has now been carried through eight generations during a period of thirteen months.