LONG-TERM CULTIVATION OF PLASMODIUM-FALCIPARUM IN MEDIA WITH COMMERCIAL NON-SERUM SUPPLEMENTS

Continuous cultivation of both drug-sensitive and drug-resistant strai ns of Plasmodium falciparum was achieved using a mixture of commercial ly available serum substitutes. This provides easier standardisation o f experimental data and minimises the risk of infection from handling of human serum. In addition, Nutridoma SR and AlbuMAXI are readily ava ilable and are biologically defined. Parasites grown in serum-free med ium are morphologically and metabolically identical to those cultivate d in medium supplemented with 10% human serum.