GENETIC-STRUCTURE OF TRYPANOSOMA-CRUZI IN CENTRAL-AMERICA AND ITS COMPARISON WITH SOUTH-AMERICAN STRAINS

Genetic characterization by isozyme analysis was performed on 68 isola tes of Trypanosoma cruzi; 57 from Guatemala in Central America and 11 from South American countries. Ten zymodemes (isozyme patterns) were i dentified by examining zymograms of 12 enzymes (13 loci). These zymode mes were classified to 3 major distinctive groups: (1) major Guatemala n, (2) minor Guatemalan and (3) unique South American, by the genetic distances and the phylogenetic dendrogram drawn by UPGMA. Based on the results obtained, genetic structures and phylogenetic relations of T. cruzi in Guatemala and South America are discussed. Clonal reproducti on seemed to be consistent with the observation of deviation from Hard y-Weinberg equilibrium in several loci. (C) 1997 Australian Society fo r Parasitology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.