Biological characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi zymodemes: in vitro differentiation of epimastigotes and infectivity of culture metacyclic trypomastigotes to mice.
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.
Sanchez
G
G
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago.
Wallace
A
A
Olivares
M
M
Diaz
N
N
Aguilera
X
X
Apt
W
W
Solari
A
A
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
D007527:Isoenzymes