title: Genetic diversity of Colombian sylvatic Trypanosoma cruzi isolates revealed by the ribosomal DNA.
abstract: American trypanosomiasis is a common zoonosis in Colombia and Trypanosoma cruzi presents a wide distribution throughout the country. Although some studies based on enzyme electrophoresis profiles have described the population structure of the parasite, very few molecular analyses of genotipic markers have been conducted using Colombian strains. In this study, we amplified the non-transcribed spacer of the mini-gene by PCR, typing the isolates as T. cruzi I, T. cruzi zymodeme 3 or T. rangeli. In addition, the internal transcribed spacers of the ribosomal gene concomitant with the 5.8S rDNA were amplified and submitted to restriction fragment polymorphism analysis. The profiles were analyzed by a numerical methodology generating a phenetic dendrogram that shows heterogeneity among the T. cruzi isolates. This finding suggests a relationship between the complexity of the sylvatic transmission cycle in Colombia and the diversity of the sylvan parasites.
authors.affiliation: Centro Internacional de Entrenamiento e Investigaciones Médicas, Cali, Colombia.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cuervo
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cupolillo
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Segura
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saravia
authors.forename: Octavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fernandes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003105:Colombia; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis*; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D005819:Genetic Markers