Axenic Cultivation of the Parasitic Nematode, Neoaplectana glaseri, in a Fluid Medium Containing Raw Liver Extract

Abstract

The parasite develops through more than 1 generation and multiplies 100-200 fold in acid veal or beef heart infusion broth supplemented with a raw liver extract (RLE) that has been prepared without heat, acidified, and sterilized by Seitz filtration. Shaking the cultures in the dark produces larger yields. Other factors bearing on successful cultivation are considered. The stock culture strain, isolated from a Japanese beetle grub and rendered bacteria-free in 1944, has been carried serially on tissue (usually kidney) on dextrose agar slants. It has also retained infectivity for its host.