Evaluation of Chicken Bone Powder-Based Medium for In Vitro Cultivation of Leishmania donovani Promastigotes

This study demonstrated the viability of using a culture medium prepared from chicken bone meal for culturing the Leishmania donovani parasite. This medium is a modified version of the standard Leishmania culture medium NNN- medium. To evaluate the success of this new medium, the study included three groups. The first group served as the control, using the conventional NNN- medium for parasite growth. In the second group, the liquid phase (Locke solution) was replaced with a liquid medium to which chicken bone meal was added. In the third group, the solid phase was prepared using an extract of chicken heart and brain, while Locke solution was used for the liquid phase. The parasite continued to grow well for twelve days, maintaining its viability to 92% and normal appearance without the need for re-culturing. The number of parasites was monitored daily for twelve days. The results showed increased parasite growth in all three media, with growth peaking on day eight. Groups 1, 2, and 3 recorded the highest parasite numbers of (38.25±2.8, 34.50±2.0, and 34.75±2.1) × 10⁶ cells/ml, respectively. Parasite growth rates were good when compared to the growth rate in NNN medium.