title: RAPD-PCR reveals genetic polymorphism among Leishmania major strains from Tunisian patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania (L.) major is endemoepidemic in the Center and South of Tunisia. The clinical course of the disease varies widely among different patients and geographic regions. Although genetic diversity in L. major parasites has been suggested as a potential factor influencing their pathogenic variability, little information on genetic polymorphism among L. major strains is available in the literature. This work aimed to estimate the genetic variability within different isolates of L. major.
  
  
  METHODS
  Our sample comprised 39 isolates (confirmed as L. major by restriction fragment length polymorphism typing) from patients experiencing the same clinical manifestations but living in different regions of Tunisia where L. major is endemic. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) PCR marker polymorphism was estimated by calculating Nei and Li's genetic distances and by an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of the genetic diversity among the isolates revealed a high level of polymorphism (43 %) among them. AMOVA indicated that the highest variability (99 %) existed within the study regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results revealed a heterogeneous genetic profile for L. major with similar clinical manifestations occurring within the different geographical regions. Additional L. major isolates from patients, insect vectors, and reservoir hosts from different endemic foci should be collected for further analysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LR11IPT02), Pasteur Institute of Tunis, 13 Place Pasteur BP-74, Tunis, Belvedere, 1002, Tunisia. rihabyazidi@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Rihab
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yazidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LR11IPT02), Pasteur Institute of Tunis, 13 Place Pasteur BP-74, Tunis, Belvedere, 1002, Tunisia. bettaiebjihene@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Jihene
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bettaieb
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LR11IPT02), Pasteur Institute of Tunis, 13 Place Pasteur BP-74, Tunis, Belvedere, 1002, Tunisia. ghawarwissemmed@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Wissem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ghawar
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LR11IPT02), Pasteur Institute of Tunis, 13 Place Pasteur BP-74, Tunis, Belvedere, 1002, Tunisia. kaoutherj@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kaouther
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jaouadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LR11IPT02), Pasteur Institute of Tunis, 13 Place Pasteur BP-74, Tunis, Belvedere, 1002, Tunisia. chabane_sana@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Sana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Châabane
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LR11IPT02), Pasteur Institute of Tunis, 13 Place Pasteur BP-74, Tunis, Belvedere, 1002, Tunisia. amor.zaatour@pasteur.rns.tn.
authors.forename: Amor
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaatour
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Epidemiology, Laboratory of Transmission, Control and Immunobiology of Infections (LR11IPT02), Pasteur Institute of Tunis, 13 Place Pasteur BP-74, Tunis, Belvedere, 1002, Tunisia. afif.bensalah@pasteur.rns.tn.
authors.forename: Afif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ben Salah
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers