A NEW FOCUS OF CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS DUE TO LEISHMANIA-AMAZONENSIS IN A SUB ANDEAN REGION OF BOLIVIA

We detected a new outbreak focus with high incidence of cutaneous leis hmaniasis in the Sub Andean region of La Paz. This area was never cons idered previously as an endemic zone of leishmaniasis. Leishmania stoc ks from human lesions were isolated: three stocks were explored by pul se field gradient electrophoresis, showing evidence for their affiliat ion to the L. mexicana complex. Eight stocks were submitted to isoenzy me electrophoresis and compared with five reference strains: L. amazon ensis, L. braziliensis, L. chagasi, L. mexicana and L. pifanoi. Close genetic proximity was evidenced between newly isolated parasites and t he reference stock of L. amazonensis, whereas high divergence was obse rved between them and either the L. pifanoi, L. mexicana, L. brazilien sis and L. chagasi reference strains. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.