Differential tissue distribution of diverse clones of Trypanosoma cruzi ininfected mice

Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, presents variabl e clinical course but the phenomena underlying this variability remain larg ely unknown. T. cruzi has a clonal population structure and infecting strai ns are often multiclonal. T. cruzi genetic variability could be a determina nt of differential tissue tropism or distribution and consequently of the c linical forms of the disease. We tested this hypothesis by using low-string ency single specific primer polymerase chain reaction (LSSP-PCR) to type ge netically the parasites in tissues of experimental infected mite. BALB/c mi ce were simultaneously inoculated with two different T. cruzi populations ( JG strain and Co11.7G2 clone). Doubly infected animals showed clear differe ntial tissue distribution for the two populations (chronic phase). Our resu lts indicate a significant influence of the genetic polymorphism of infecti ng T. cruzi populations in the pathogenesis of chronic Chagas disease. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.