PLASMODIUM-FALCIPARUM GROWTH IN DEEP CULTURE

Culture conditions have been developed which enable the asexual erythrocytic stage of Plasmodium falciparum to be grown in deep culture and produce parasite yields comparable to shallow stationary culture. The major benefit of deep culture is that large volumes of parasites can be grown in a single vessel (up to 8 litres) and thus advantage can be taken of semi-automatic approaches to medium replacement. Other benefits are that large quantities of viable parasites can be matured without multiple medium replacements and synchronized parasite culture can be maintained easily over an extended time. © 1990, Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved.