title: Identification of Trypanosoma cruzi sublineages by the simple method of single-stranded conformation DNA polymorphism (SSCP).
abstract: Fifty-eight stocks of Trypanosoma cruzi from Latin America were genetically characterized using the methods of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the single-stranded conformation DNA polymorphism (SSCP) with four genes, mini-exon, 24Salpha rRNA, 18Sr RNA, cruzipain, and a RAPD fragment DNA region, P7-P8. All the isolates examined were assigned to T. cruzi I or subgroups of T. cruzi II by these methods. From these results, the SSCP analysis, which was simple to perform and highly sensitive to sequence variation, seemed to be a good modality for characterizing T. cruzi, particularly for subgroups of T. cruzi II. However, in several isolates of T. cruzi II, the subgroups determined with the SSCP of 24Salpha rRNA were not consistent with those determined with other genes, the SSCP of 18S rRNA and cruzipain, and the PCR of P7-P8, possibly because of the occurrence of rare genetic exchanges or mutations or both in natural populations of this parasite. The SSCP patterns of 24Salpha rRNA and 18S rRNA were highly variable in the T. cruzi I isolates; therefore, analyses using both genes are considered to be one possible method for the characterization of isolates within T. cruzi I.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. hirohigo@parasite.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Higo
authors.forename: Sachio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Agatsuma
authors.forename: Tatsuyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mimori
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yanagi
authors.forename: Moritoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwagami
authors.forename: A Rojas
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: de Arias
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Matta
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirayama
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: Kunisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Himeno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000469:parasitology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000469:parasitology*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D017125:Genes, Protozoan; D006801:Humans; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D014224:Triatoma / Q000469:parasitology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; C063214:cruzipain