Trypanosoma cruzi: Correlations of biological aspects of the life cycle inmice and triatomines

The infection pattern irt Swiss mice and Triatomine bugs (Rhodnius neglectu s) of eleven clones and the original stock of a Trypanosoma cruzi isolate, derived from a naturally infected Didelphis marsupialis, were biochemically and biologically characterized The clones and the original isolate were in the same zymodeme (Z1) except that two clones were found to be in zymodeme 2 when tested with G6PDH. Although infective, neither the original isolate nor the clones were highly virulent for the mice and lesions were only obs erved in mice infected with the original stock and one of the clones (F8). All clones and the original isolate infected bugs well while only the origi nal isolate and clones E2 and F3 yielded high metacyclogenesis rates. An ob served correlation between absence of lesions ii? the mammal host and high metacyclogenesis rates in the invertebrate host suggest a evolutionary trad e off i.e. a fitness increase in one trait which is accompanied by a fitnes s reduction in a different one. Our results suggest that in a species as he terogeneous as T. cruzi, a cooperation effect among the subpopulations shou ld be considered.