Authors

Discussion

Tsetse flies of the genus Glossina are important vectors of disease-causing salivarian trypanosomes in sub-Saharan Africa and are major constraints on livestock production, agricultural development and human health in the region. We have recently established a new cell line, GMA/LULS61, derived from tissues of adult female Glossina morsitans morsitans. The tsetse cells are grown at 28 °C in L-15 (Leibovitz) medium supplemented with foetal bovine serum and tryptose phosphate broth. Karyotyping at passage 17 revealed a predominantly haploid chromosome complement. PCR amplification and sequencing of fragments of the COI gene and pan-bacterial 16S rRNA gene confirmed, respectively, species origin and absence of contaminating bacteria. GMA/LULS61 cells supported infection and growth of several insect-derived strains of the intracellular bacterial symbiont Wolbachia. The GMA/LULS61 cell line, available from the Tick Cell Biobank at the University of Liverpool, has potential for application in a variety of studies investigating the biology and control of G. m. morsitans and its associated pathogenic and symbiotic microorganisms.