R. Degen et al., SEXUAL COMPATIBILITY AMONG TRYPANOSOMA-BRUCEI ISOLATES FROM AN EPIDEMIC AREA IN SOUTHEASTERN UGANDA, Parasitology research, 81(3), 1995, pp. 253-257
For the first time, two clones of Trypanosoma brucei from the same epi
demic area in southeastern Uganda were successfully crossed. The cotra
nsmission experiments were as close to natural conditions as possible
in that two uncloned isolates from wild-caught Glossina fuscipes fusci
pes were directly cotransmitted in an initial recombination experiment
. From the first uncloned progeny population, which revealed a majorit
y of recombinants, two clones with different parental phenotypes [char
acterized by isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD) analysis] were isolated. T
hese clones were cotransmitted in a second recombination experiment. N
ine clones could be isolated from two different progeny populations of
the second experiment, and all showed a recombinant phenotype. These
nine clones belonged to three different karyotypes with respect to the
large chromosomes (1-3 Mb), which were different from those of either
parental karyotype or the sum of both parental karyotypes. The result
s indicate that genetic recombination might well occur between trypano
some populations transmitted within the same epidemic area.