title: Natural Leishmania donovani/Leishmania aethiopica hybrids identified from Ethiopia.
abstract: Natural hybridization events have been demonstrated between closely and distantly related Leishmania groups despite a predominantly clonal and endogamically sexual mode of reproduction. Here we report the first natural hybrid between Leishmania aethiopica and Leishmania donovani, as evidenced from the analysis of several clones from strain MHOM/ET/94/ABAUY. Targeted species-identification PCRs revealed the presence of both genotypes, and amplified fragment length polymorphisms indicated that the clones are genetically in an intermediate position between both parental species, being more closely related to L. aethiopica. The possible scenario facilitating hybrid formation is not clear, but is discussed in relation to epidemiological data.
authors.affiliation: Parasitology Department, Institute of Tropical Medicine Antwerp, Nationalestraat 155, Antwerp-2000, Belgium.
authors.forename: Samwel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Odiwuor
authors.forename: Simonne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Doncker
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Dujardin
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van der Auwera
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis*; D005002:Ethiopia; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D006824:Hybridization, Genetic; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan