Perspectives on the in vitro culture of filariae.

A primary constraint in the culture of human filariae is in obtaining starting material--either microfilariae (mfs), which infect invertebrates, or third stage larvae (L3s), which are infective to humans. Cryopreservation methods which partially overcome this difficulty have been developed for both mfs and L3s. Complete development of mfs to L3s outside an intact host was obtained recently when mosquito thoraces infected by Brugia malayi (24 h after the bloodmeal) were maintained in vitro. In another recent study in which no host tissues were present, a semidefined culture medium was used to investigate the properties of reduced glutathione (GSH) that stimulate early development of Onchocerca lienalis mfs. An extended cysteinyl backbone and a free sulfhydryl were identified as the key structural elements provided by GSH. Stimulation also required the presence of low and high molecular weight components of serum as well as oxygen. Molting of Onchocerca spp. L3s to the fourth stage at the rate of 50 to 70% has been reported by several researchers. Key factors identified in those successes have been temperature and serum lot. Improved long-term viability occurred with cellular co-culture. Beneficial effects of co-culture were shown to be due both to cellular conditioning of the medium as well as to lowered dissolved oxygen levels as a result of cellular metabolism. With the use of cell-conditioned medium and decreased incubator oxygen levels, long-term viability of Onchocerca larvae in culture exceeded that previously reported. Recently, Brugia malayi adults of both sexes were cultured from L3s using a semidefined medium supplemented with human serum. Many of these sexually matured adults mated and produced viable microfilariae.