USE OF RECOMBINANT-DNA PROBES FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION OF OLD-WORLDLEISHMANIA ISOLATES

Recombinant DNA probes from a genomic Leishmania major library were sc reened for their potential to distinguish among Old World Leishmania t axa by Southern blot analysis. A probe, pDK10, was selected and tested on a panel of 58 Old World Leishmania strains that had already been t yped isoenzymatically; these strains belong to the different species d escribed so far and had been isolated from Various hosts and vectors i n 14 countries. In the present study, 45 zymodemes were represented. U sing the pDK10 probe, we were able to differentiate between the differ ent phenetic complexes. No variations in hybridization patterns were f ound within these complexes. In addition, there was a good concordance between identification based on DNA hybridization with the pDK10 prob e and that based on isoenzyme typing. The probe has been applied in id entifying Leishmania strains that were isolated in Tunisia from humans , animals, or insects. Our results show that the application of the pD K10 probe, in combination with a Pst I digestion of Leishmania DNA, co uld be a possible alternative to isoenzyme analysis for the identifica tion of Leishmania strains.