Requirement of Trichomonads for Unidentified Growth Factors, Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids*

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. In a synthetic medium containing 57 compounds, including cholesterol, Trichomonas gallinae and T. gallinarum require 3 factors for growth and acid fermentation of maltose: (1) factor R, found in the protein contaminating some samples of ribonucleic acid, and in other isolated proteins such as conalbumin, γ‐globulin, and bovine albumin fraction V; (2) factor T, found in Trypticase and in the same isolated proteins, but with activity at 4 times the dose required for factor‐R activity, may be a large peptide containing proline; (3) factor S, found in serum, was replaceable by a saturated and an unsaturated fatty acid, each inactive alone. Only C14 through C18 saturated fatty acids were active over a range of 0.058 to 2.34 μm per tube in the presence of oleic acid, while C18 through C22 unsaturated fatty acids were active in the same range with palmitic acid as the supplement. The unsaturated fatty acids were toxic at the largest dose. All fatty acids were not equally active. Surface‐active agents containing mixtures of fatty acids also replaced serum. A 4th factor, found in serum, stimulates the rate of growth as shown by cell counts at 3 days of incubation. T. gallinarum, T. foetus, and a trichomonad from a pig's nose responded to the same supplements when grown on another synthetic medium.