Nutritional Studies with Battella germanica (L.) Reared Under Aseptic Conditions: I. Equipment and Technique

Abstract

In biological research it is often desirable to rear and handle animals free from microorganisms. This is particularly true in nutritional studies in which it is generally recognized that certain orgnisms in the digestive tract can supply nutritional factors which might otherwise be lacking in the diet. The possibility of this intervention makes it necessary to devise techniques for rearing and handling insects aseptically, in so far is the fauna and flora of their intestinal tract and of their environment are concerned. Consequently, a technique used throughout the present series of studies was developed making use of specially designed equipment by means of which nymphs of the cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), were hatched and maintained under aseptic conditions, fed aseptic food, and kept aseptic throughout a series of measurements to evaluate their weight increment. The equipment and methods used constitute the basis of the present paper.

Nutritional Studies withBlattella germanica(L.) Reared Under Aseptic Conditions: III. Five Essential Amino Acids

“…The experiments were conducted under aseptic conditions throughout using equipment and methods described by House and Patton (1949). Nymphs of B. germmica were obtained free from microorganisms and used as test animals.…”

Insects Collected in the Dundas Marsh, Hamilton, Ontario, 1946-47, with Observations on Their Periods of Emergence

“…The methods and equipment used to sterilize the food, to obtain aseptic nymphs and to rear and handle them during assays are described by House and Patton ( 1949).…”

“…Using the cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), the first condition can be approached, inasmuch as cockroaches can be made aseptic by freeing them from the fauna and flora of their intestinal tract and of their environment following the method described by House and Patton (1949). It is essential, therefore, to control all the factors which enter into the nutritional functions of the organism under study.…”

INTRODUCTION TO AXENIC CULTURE OF INVERTEBRATE METAZOA: A GOAL*

“…$ "Aseptic" roaches studied by several investigators (Wollman et al, 1937;House, 1949) have not been free of intracellular symbiotes (that is, 4 I am suspicious of presumably "inert" substances (such as cotton and agar) as sources of unrecognized essential micronutrients (see APPENDIX species have been so treated. For most invertebrate groups, the first step probably poses the greatest potential difficulty.…”