title: Isoenzymatic polymorphism of Leishmania infantum in southern Spain.
abstract: Over a period of more than 10 years we have isolated and classified 161 Leishmania strains from cases of human visceral, cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis in immunocompetent subjects, from cases of visceral leishmaniasis in immunocompromised individuals with HIV, from dogs with leishmaniasis (visceral and cutaneous), from Rattus rattus and from sandflies. The strains were all L. infantum, the only species endemic in Spain, and corresponded to 20 different zymodemes. We describe the life cycle of these zymodemes for which, in most cases, we only partially know the hosts involved. We also discuss possible reasons for the greater polymorphism of L. infantum in southern Spain.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitologia, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Campus Universitario de Cartuja, 18.071, Granada, Spain. joaquina@ugr.es
authors.forename: Joaquina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martin-Sanchez
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gramiccia
authors.forename: Trentina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Di Muccio
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ludovisi
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morillas-Márquez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004586:Electrophoresis; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000235:genetics; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000201:enzymology / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes