Trypanosoma minasense was isolated for the first time
in blood axenic culture from a naturally infected marmoset,
Callithrix penicillata, from Brazil. The parasite grew
profusely in an overlay of Roswell Park Memorial Institute
medium plus 20% foetal bovine serum, on Novy, McNeal and
Nicolle medium (NNN), at 27 C, with a peak around 168 hr.
The morphometry of cultural forms of T. minasense,
estimates of cell population size and comparative growth in
four different media overlays always with NNN, were studied.
The infectivity of cultural forms to marmosets (C.
penicillata and C. jacchus) and transformation of
epimastigotes into metacyclic-like forms in axenic culture in
the presence of chitin derivates (chitosan) were evaluated.