title: Trypanosoma cruzi: multiplex PCR to detect and classify strains according to groups I and II.
abstract: A multiplex PCR was developed for simultaneous detection of Trypanosoma cruzi DNA and classification of the parasite strain into groups I and II. As little as 10fg of T. cruzi DNA could be detected by multiplex PCR. The technique was shown to be specific for T. cruzi DNA, since no PCR amplification products were obtained with DNA from other tripanosomatid species. Multiplex PCR was validated by assaying genomic DNA from 34 strains of T. cruzi that had been previously characterized; 24 blood samples from experimentally-infected mice and non-infected controls; 20 buffy coat samples from patients in the acute phase of Chagas disease and non-infected individuals, and 15 samples of feces from naturally-infected Triatoma infestans. T. cruzi samples from patients and from Y strain-infected mice were classified by multiplex PCR as T. cruzi II and samples from T. infestans and Colombiana strain-infected mice as T. cruzi I.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Parasitologia Celular e Molecular, Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou- Fiocruz, 30190-002 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. daniel@cpqrr.fiocruz.br
authors.forename: Daniel B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Liarte
authors.forename: Silvane M F
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Murta
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steindel
authors.forename: Alvaro J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Romanha
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004276:DNA, Satellite / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004276:DNA, Satellite