ITS-RFLP- and RAPD-based genetic variability of Trypanosoma cruzi I, human and vector strains in Santander, Colombia.
Chagas disease is a severe public health problem in Latin-American countries. In Colombia, the predominance of Trypanosoma cruzi I has been described in the literature, with a broad heterogeneity between strains. However, most of the studies carried out centered on isoenzyme analysis, with a smaller number that focus on other molecular methods. In this report, we discuss the results of a molecular analysis of T. cruzi I strains, isolated from the domestic cycle, from the department of Santander, one of the territorial divisions where the prevalence of infection is highest. Internal transcribed spacer-restriction fragment length polymorphism and random amplification of polymorphic DNA were used to characterize 16 strains from human and vector (Triatominae) hosts. The data reveal a clustering based on the biological origin. Human and vector strains grouped separately; however, three vector strains clustered together with human strains. These results indicate that genetic differences exist in the strains that infect both hosts. We conclude that T. cruzi I populations in the domestic cycle of transmission of Chagas disease in Santander are heterogeneous and are composed of different clones. The epidemiological and biological implications are discussed.
Centro de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales, (CINTROP), Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia. katluna23@tux.uis.edu.co
Katherine Paola
KP
Luna-Marín
Claudia Lorena
CL
Jaramillo-Londoño
Jorge
J
Hernández-Torres
Reynaldo
R
Gutiérrez-Marín
Gustavo Adolfo
GA
Vallejo
Víctor Manuel
VM
Angulo-Silva
D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000469:parasitology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003105:Colombia; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics*; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D014225:Triatominae / Q000469:parasitology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*
D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer