title: Genetic diversity of Leishmania amazonensis strains isolated in northeastern Brazil as revealed by DNA sequencing, PCR-based analyses and molecular karyotyping.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis infection in man results in a clinical spectrum of disease manifestations ranging from cutaneous to mucosal or visceral involvement. In the present study, we have investigated the genetic variability of 18 L. amazonensis strains isolated in northeastern Brazil from patients with different clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis. Parasite DNA was analyzed by sequencing of the ITS flanking the 5.8 S subunit of the ribosomal RNA genes, by RAPD and SSR-PCR and by PFGE followed by hybridization with gene-specific probes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ITS sequencing and PCR-based methods revealed genetic heterogeneity among the L. amazonensis isolates examined and molecular karyotyping also showed variation in the chromosome size of different isolates. Unrooted genetic trees separated strains into different groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that L. amazonensis strains isolated from leishmaniasis patients from northeastern Brazil are genetically diverse, however, no correlation between genetic polymorphism and phenotype were found.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, FIOCRUZ, Rua Waldemar Falcão, 121, 40296-710, Salvador, BA, Brazil. jp-ol@bol.com.br
authors.forename: João Paulo C
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Flora
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.forename: Angela K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Trombela
authors.forename: Elisângela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Anamaria A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.forename: Aldina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barral
authors.forename: Camila I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: de Oliveira