A Culture Method of growing Entamoeba histolytica and Other Anaerobic Amoebae for the Study of their Nuclear Division

Abstract

THE mode of nuclear division in Entamoeba histolytica and other anaerobic amoebae is not clearly understood. There are two main reasons for this: first, difficulty is encountered in obtaining the various normal stages of nuclear division; second, unsuitable cytological techniques are used to distinguish between chromatic and non-chromatic substances. Dobell¹ developed a culture method of obtaining large numbers of E. histolytica trophozoites in an actively growing condition. He grew amoebae by the Boeck–Drbohlav technique in a tube into which a coverglass was placed. The amoebae crept over the coverglass, where they continued their development, fed on the accompanying bacteria and rice starch and multiplied. Because they adhered to the glass, they could be readily obtained from the culture by removing the coverglass, and then fixed and stained. It should be emphasized that by this method large numbers of bacteria and rice starch particles also remain attached to the coverglass. This makes any study of nuclear structure and nuclear division difficult.