title: Molecular characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi Mexican strains and their behavior in the mouse experimental model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  For a long time, the importance of Chagas disease in Mexico, where many regarded it as an exotic malady, was questioned. Considering the great genetic diversity among isolates of Trypanosoma cruzi, the importance of this biological characterization, and the paucity of information on the clinical and biological aspects of Chagas disease in Mexico, this study aimed to identify the molecular and biological characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi isolates from different endemic areas of this country, especially of the State of Jalisco.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight Mexican Trypanosoma cruzi strains were biologically and genetically characterized (PCR specific for Trypanosoma cruzi, multiplex-PCR, amplification of space no transcript of the genes of the mini-exon, amplification of polymorphic regions of the mini-exon, classification by amplification of intergenic regions of the spliced leader genes, RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two profiles of parasitaemia were observed, patent (peak parasitaemia of 4.6×10(6) to 10(7) parasites/mL) and subpatent. In addition, all isolates were able to infect 100% of the animals. The isolates mainly displayed tropism for striated (cardiac and skeletal) muscle. PCR amplification of the mini-exon gene classified the eight strains as TcI. The RAPD technique revealed intraspecies variation among isolates, distinguishing strains isolated from humans and triatomines and according to geographic origin.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Mexican T. cruzi strains are myotrophic and belong to group TcI.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical e Infectologia, Departamento de Clínica Médica, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gómez-Hernández
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rezende-Oliveira
authors.forename: Gabriel Antônio Nogueira
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Nascentes
authors.forename: Lara Rocha
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Batista
authors.forename: Henrique Borges
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Kappel
authors.forename: José Alejandro
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Martinez-Ibarra
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Trujillo Contreras
authors.forename: Eliane
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lages-Silva
authors.forename: Luis Eduardo
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Ramírez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico; D051379:Mice; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D014224:Triatoma / Q000469:parasitology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification