Use of amino acids by Plasmodium relictum oocysts in vitro

Abstract

A comparison was made of the in vitro growth of the gut of Culex tarsalis in Grace's insect culture medium, supplemented with fetal bovine serum in the presence of dividing cells of Antheraea eucalypti, with a similar preparation of a gut infected with oocysts of the avian parasite, Plasmodium relictum. In the latter case, after 16 hr, significant decreases occurred in the concentration of arginine, asparagine, and glutamine combined, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, lysine, proline, and serine. Lower and less marked decreased concentrations of alanine, β-alanine, cystine, isoleucine, leucine, methionine, ornithine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophane, tyrosine, and valine also took place. This indicated utilization of certain amino acids by the developing oocysts of P. relictum in the presence of metabolizing insect cells.