CHARACTERIZATION OF MEGATRYPANUM TRYPANOSOMES FROM EUROPEAN CERVIDAE

Megatrypanum trypanosomes have been isolated from a number of differen t European Cervidae, but on the basis of morphology it has not been po ssible to define the species to which these isolates belong. We isolat ed Trypanosoma (Megatrypanum) theileri from 10 cattle, and Megatrypanu m trypanosomes from 11 fallow deer (Cervus dama), 9 red deer (Cervus e laphus), and 4 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) by blood culture on a bi phasic medium (NNN agar slopes). Trypanosomes were propagated in Schne ider's Drosophila medium and characterized by isoenzyme analysis and m olecular karyotyping. Isocitrate dehydrogenase and phosphoglucomutase were visualized after starch gel electrophoresis of trypanosome lysate s. By cluster analysis of this data all isolates from deer were clearl y separated from the T. (M.) theileri isolates from cattle. Isolates f rom roe deer were different not only from T. (M.) theileri but also fr om the other deer isolates. Isolates from fallow deer and red deer wer e grouped together. Thus, there are probably at least two different sp ecies of Megatrypanum trypanosomes in the three Cervidae. One parasiti zing roe deer, the other, apparently less host specific species, infec ting red deer and fallow deer. Separation of the chromosomes of Megatr ypanum trypanosomes by pulsed-field gradient gel electrophoresis (PFGE ) showed that each isolate contained a large number (> 18) of chromoso mes ranging in size from 300 to > 2200 kb. The molecular karyotypes we re similar for all isolates, although no isolate was identical to anot her.