Host serum modifies the drug susceptibility of Babesia bovis in vitro.
Babesia parasites generally require a defined percentage of serum in the culture medium for their in vitro growth. In this study, we attempted to culture Babesia bovis in a serum-free condition. The growth pattern and morphology of B. bovis in serum-free (plain) GIT medium were unaltered as compared to those of the standard growth condition containing 40% bovine serum in M199. When exposed to the test drugs, the parasite in plain GIT medium showed clearly lower IC50 values than those in 40% serum-containing G IT medium, indicating that several serum components may interfere with the drug bio-availability. Therefore, the serum-free culture system is useful for standardizing drug test protocols and understanding the roles of serum factors in the drug test.
National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
S
S
Bork
M
M
Okamura
T
T
Matsuo
S
S
Kumar
N
N
Yokoyama
I
I
Igarashi
D000818:Animals; D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016793:Babesia bovis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D003470:Culture Media / Q000737:chemistry*; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D013997:Time Factors
D000981:Antiprotozoal Agents; D003470:Culture Media; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free