Blood Factors in the Nutrition of Trypanosoma cruzi

Abstract

The parasite, cultured on a medium of human red cell coagulum, agar, glucose, NaCl, and peptone, has been carried through 13 serial transfers (at 18-22 day intervals) with no diminution in rate of reproduction. A series of media containing graded amounts of hemoglobin from none to 3 mg. was inoculated. The resulting growth responses, proportional to the amount of hemoglobin added, indicate that hemoglobin is the only additional growth factor for this strain of T. cruzi when peptone, glucose, and NaCl are present in the medium.