AJTMH Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 11(2), 1962, pp. 194-198
Copyright © 1962 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

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The Effect of Surface-Active Agents upon the Multiplication of Entamoeba Histolytica in Culture*

Richard E. Reeves
Department of Biochemistry, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana

Twelve surface-active agents were tested in MS-F cultures of the DKB strain of Entamoeba histolytica and all were found to be amebastatic at relatively low concentrations.

Anionic and non-ionic surface-active agents in sufficient concentration decrease the airliquid surface tension of the culture medium and suppress the multiplication of amebae. With many of these surfactants there is an abrupt break in the multiplication of amebae at about 44 dyne/cm, cultures having lower terminal surface tensions showing no multiplication.

Cationic surfactants suppress ameba multiplication at very low concentrations and may do so without significantly lowering the air-liquid surface tension of the culture fluid.

Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide was amebastatic at a concentration of 3 micrograms per ml. Of the substances investigated only emetine has been found to be effective at a lower concentration.

The surface tension of the standard control cultures was found to decrease from about 54 dyne/cm to about 48 cyne/cm due to the multiplication of amebae during the incubation period.

A possible relationship between surfactants in the intestinal contents and host resistance to amebic infection is considered.


* This investigation was conducted under the sponsorship of the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board and supported by the Surgeon General, Department of the Army, Contract No. DA-49-007-MD-756. Portions of the data were presented at the eighth annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Indianapolis, Ind., October, 1959.






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Copyright © 1962 by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.