Cultivation of the Sparganum of Spirometra mansonoides in Vitro with Prolonged Production of Sparganum Growth Factor 1

Summary

If cultured initially in a cell culture, spargana of Spirometra mansonoides could subsequently be maintained in medium 199 enriched only with 3–5% serum with growth of the worms and continued production of sparganum growth factor (SGF) for at least 6 mo. Although growth-promoting in vivo, SGF failed to stimulate the growth of cultured cells or tissue explants.