Abstract
This chapter presents the comparative enzymatic studies of culture and spleen forms of Leishmania. Culture and intracellular stages of Leishmania differ in their susceptibility to cyanide and in their rate of glycolysis. To study this further, leptomonads of L. tarentolae cultured in defined medium and L. donovani cultured on blood agar medium as well as intracellular Leishman–Donovan (LD) bodies of L. donovani isolated from infected hamster spleen were assayed for their lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) activity and for their cytochrome content. Spectrophotometric assays revealed no LDH activity in either of the two culture forms and high activity in the LD form. Lactic acid assays showed little or no lactic acid in the defined medium and in extracts of L. tarentolae leptomonads whereas readily detectable concentrations were found in LD extracts. LD cultured on blood agar slowly lost their LDH activity. The difference in LDH activity between the two stages is probably connected with the difference in the aerobic metabolism.
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