AXENIC CULTIVATION OF TRYPANOSOMATIDS FOUND IN CORN (ZEA-MAYS) AND INPHYTOPHAGOUS-HEMIPTERANS (LEPTOGLOSSUS-ZONATUS COREIDAE) AND THEIR EXPERIMENTAL TRANSMISSION

Trypanosomatids isolated from com seeds and from digestive tract and s alivary glands of Leptoglossus zonatus (Hemiptera, Coreidae) were obta ined in pure cultures. In experimental transmission, the flagellates p resent in naturally infected insects were able to infect laboratory-ra ised com. A simplified liquid culture medium was established that incr eased parasite yield three- to five-fold. Cultured and cloned parasite s, and forms found in insects and com as well, were studied by light a nd electron microscopy. A remarkable finding was the observation that the cultured strain 163M bears a surface coat similar to that observed in naturally occurring African trypanosomes, but not observed in tryp anosomes in vitro. Based on the biochemical characteristics of the arg inine-ornithine cycle and on the presence of this cell coat, we propos e that the strain 163M is a new species and name it Herpetomonas