Growth Conditions
Temperature: 25.0°C
Duration: anaerobic
Protocol: ATCCNO: 50336 SPEC:This strain is routinely shipped as a frozen stabilate. Thaw the ampule, aseptically transfer the material to a 16 x 125 mm screw-capped test tube containing 12 ml of bacterized ATCC medium 1773, screw the cap on tightly, and incubate on a 15 degree slant at 25C. Trophozoites should be active on the following day. Within 7-10 days most of the cells will encyst. The cysts remain viable for at least one month. However, to ensure viability, subculture every 14-21 days. To subculture, rub the surface of the tube with a sterile cotton swab, gently invert 10 times, aseptically transfer a 0.25-ml aliquot to a fresh tube of bacterized ATCC medium 1773, and incubate as above. This strain has been cultivated with a non-pathogenic strain of Enterobacter aerogenes ATCC-13048 as a food source. Other unidentified bacteria are also present. Note: ATCC medium 1773 is bacterized by inoculating with a partial bacteriological loopful of a non-pathogenic strain of K. pneumoniae subsp. pneumoniae ATCC-700831 (other strains of Klebsiella will probably work equally well) from an ATCC medium 3 slant approximately 24 hours before using. There is currently no known commercial source of rice starch that is suitable for inclusion in ATCC medium 1773. However, purified rice starch of a suitable nature can be prepared (Diamond, L.S. Lumen dwelling protozoa: Entamoeba, trichomonads, and Giardia. In: Jensen, J.B. ed., In vitro cultivation of protozoan parasites. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 1983:p. 75).