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Table 2 Effects of different culture media on the growth of schistosomula

From: Mechanically produced schistosomula as a higher-throughput tools for phenotypic pre-screening in drug sensitivity assays: current research and future trends

Culture Media

Shape and appearance of NTS

Motility of NTS

Duration/Viability of NTS

Basch Medium 169

Parasites (NTS) appear robust and uniform

High dynamic motility

Keeps parasites alive up to one week’s incubation.

Worms survive more with 10% mortality for up to 4 weeks

DMEM

Parasites (NTS) appear distorted including rounding and darkening

Slowed and less dynamic motility

Keeps parasites alive up to 144 h

When the culture media is appropriately supplemented schistosomula can be grown for at least two months

Medium 199

Generate different degrees of distorted parasites (NTS) including rounding and darkening

Slowed and less dynamic motility

Supplemented Medium 199 keeps the parasites alive up to 120 h with an average viability value of about 2.5

RPMI 1640

Parasites (NTS) rounding

Slowed and less dynamic motility

Parasites degeneration and average death of 40 to 60% within 3 days with continued mortality up to two weeks

When the culture media is appropriately supplemented schistosomula can be grown for at least two months

  1. NTS newly transformed schistosomula, DMEM Dulbecco’s modified eagle’s medium, RPMI Roswell Park Memorial Institute