The influence of various bovine sera on the maintenance of Theileria parva lymphoblastoid cell culture.

Abstract

Theileria parva infected lymphoblastoid bovine cells were grown in a medium based on HEPES-buffered RPMI 1640 with glutamine and antibiotics, supplemented with bovine serum. There were no significant differences in growth rate, viability, and percentage of infected cells when the substrate contained 10 or 20 per cent of either commercially available newborn calf serum of serum prepared from adult non-infected Friesian cattle or of serum prepared from a Friesian calf immunised against East Coast fever and having a high titre of antibodies to T. parva antigen in the indirect fluorescent antibody test. If studies showing that newborn calf serum gives results in the establishment and maintenance of T. parva cell culture similar to those of foetal calf serum are confirmed, this finding could mean an appreciable saving in the cost of in vitro work on this parasite.