title: Genetic heterogeneity in Trypanosoma cruzi strains from naturally infected triatomine vectors in northeastern Brazil: epidemiological implications.
abstract: Eighteen Trypanosoma cruzi strains isolated from naturally infected triatomines were studied genetically. The majority of the strains were from Triatoma brasiliensis, the principal vector of Chagas disease in the northeast of Brazil. Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses were used to investigate the genotypic diversity and the spread of the T. cruzi genotypes in different environments. MLEE clearly distinguished two distinct isoenzyme profiles, and RAPD analysis revealed 10 different genotypes circulating in rural areas. The strains could be typed as isoenzyme variants of the T. cruzi principal zymodeme Z1 (T. cruzi I). An effective program of epidemiological vigilance is required to prevent the spread of T. cruzi I strains into human dwellings.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ), Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. rpacheco@ioc.fiocruz.br
authors.forename: Raquel S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.forename: Célia M Marques
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: de Brito
authors.forename: Otilia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sarquis
authors.forename: Marize Q
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Pires
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Borges-Pereira
authors.forename: Marli M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Lima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D014644:Genetic Variation; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D014225:Triatominae / Q000469:parasitology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*