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.
Luna-Marín
Katherine Paola
KP
Centro de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales, (CINTROP), Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia. katluna23@tux.uis.edu.co
Jaramillo-Londoño
Claudia Lorena
CL
Hernández-Torres
Jorge
J
Gutiérrez-Marín
Reynaldo
R
Vallejo
Gustavo Adolfo
GA
Angulo-Silva
Víctor Manuel
VM
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