title: Biological characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi zymodemes: in vitro differentiation of epimastigotes and infectivity of culture metacyclic trypomastigotes to mice.
abstract: Thirty-one Trypanosoma cruzi isolates from Chile, Peru, and Bolivia were studied in their capacity to differentiate in vitro from epimastigotes to metacyclic trypomastigotes on TAU-3AAG medium. Zymodeme 1 parasites displayed the best level of differentiation, which ranges from 60 to 90% depending on the isolate. Zymodeme 2 parasites exhibited highly heterogenous differentiation rates. This differentiation method permits the obtention of large amounts of metacyclic trypomastigotes from zymodeme 1 parasites. Metacyclic trypomastigotes obtained in vitro were infective to nude Balb/c hybrid mice. Zymodeme 1 parasites produced high parasitemias in this murine model; in contrast, zymodeme 2 parasites displayed lower parasitemias. Of a total of 27 T. cruzi isolates, 20 proved to be infective to mice, 12 gave enough parasites for further studies, and 8 of these were used for biological characterization. Results are compared with the infective clone Dm28 and Tulahuén strains maintained since 1954 in mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olivares
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Aguilera
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Apt
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Solari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001838:Bolivia; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000469:parasitology*; D002677:Chile; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000032:analysis; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010568:Peru; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes