RESTRICTION-FRAGMENT-LENGTH-POLYMORPHISM AND VIRULENCE OF CZECH TOXOPLASMA-GONDII STRAINS

Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of chromosomal DNA f rom 22 strains of Toxoplasma gondii were characterised using SalI and PstI restriction endonucleases and the TGR1E specific repetitive seque nce as a probe. Two virulent strains, RH and P-CZ, had previously been isolated from humans, the remaining 20 strains were isolated from ani mals in the Czech Republic in 1994 and 1995. Among the 20 recently iso lated strains, 19 belonged to an avirulent lineage and only one strain from the wild cat Felis silvestris belonged to a virulent lineage. (C ) 1998 Australian Society for Parasitology. Published by Elsevier Scie nce Ltd. All rights reserved.