CHARACTERIZATION FOR VIRULENCE OF AN AXENIC STRAIN OF ENTAMOEBA-HISTOLYTICA - EVIDENCE FOR OVEREXPRESSION OF 2 PROTEINS

The pattern of protein from membrane and crude homogenate of Entamoeba histolytica strain 462 axenically cultivated (462ac) and submitted to hamster liver passage (462hp) was obtained by sodium dodecyl sulfate- polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The substrains 462ac and 462hp wer e compared by zymodeme analysis, erythrophagocytosis, cytopathic effec t upon mammalian cells and the cap ability to induce abscess in hamste r liver, The results showed no differences for erythrophagocytosis, cy topathic effect or zymodene for substrains 462ac and 462hp, A type If pathogenic zymodene was observed. Substrain 462ac did not induce liver abscess, but 462hp induced abscesses in 70% of the inoculated animals , The pattern of proteins from plasma membrane and crude homogenate we re different. One protein of approximately 45kDa and another of 23 kDa showed at no detectable levels in the menbrane of 462ac. A third comp onent of approximately 90 kDa showed more intensively expressed in the 462ac.