Trypanosoma cruzi I–III in southern Brazil causing individual and mixed infections in humans, sylvatic reservoirs and triatomines

• Published in: Acta tropica Vol. 120; no. 3; pp. 167 - 172
• Main Authors: Abolis, Nilce Gomes, Marques de Araújo, Silvana, Toledo, Max Jean de Ornelas, Fernandez, Maria Aparecida, Gomes, Mônica Lúcia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier B.V 01.12.2011; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brazil - epidemiology; Chagas Disease - epidemiology; Chagas Disease - parasitology; Chagas Disease - transmission; Chagas Disease - veterinary; Cluster Analysis; COII; Coinfection - epidemiology; Coinfection - parasitology; Coinfection - transmission; Coinfection - veterinary; cytochrome-c oxidase; Disease Reservoirs; DNA, Protozoan - chemistry; DNA, Protozoan - genetics; DNA, Ribosomal - chemistry; DNA, Ribosomal - genetics; DTUs; Electron Transport Complex IV - genetics; General aspects; genes; Genes, rRNA; Humans; Medical sciences; mixed infection; Molecular Epidemiology; Molecular Sequence Data; opossums; Opossums - parasitology; Phylogeny; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; restriction fragment length polymorphism; ribosomal RNA; RNA, Protozoan - genetics; rRNA; screening; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Southern Brazil; Triatominae; Triatominae - parasitology; Trypanosoma cruzi; Trypanosoma cruzi - classification; Trypanosoma cruzi - genetics; Trypanosoma cruzi - isolation & purification; Brazil; South America; America; Brazil, Parana; COII; rRNA; DTUs; Trypanosoma cruzi; Southern Brazil; Kinetoplastida; Human; Protozoa; Mixed infection; Ribosomal RNA; Tropical medicine; Reservoir
• ISSN: 0001-706X; 1873-6254
• DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2011.08.001

[Display omitted] ► Genetic variability of T. cruzi in humans, and DTUs TcI, TcII and TcIII were found. ► For the first time, was observed DTU III in human in southern Brazil. ► Mixed infections (TcI and TcII) are found only in triatomines in southern Brazil. The aim of this study was to characterise Discrete Typing Units (DTUs) of 28 isolates of Trypanosoma cruzi from humans (15), triatomines (9), and opossums (4) in the state of Paraná, southern Brazil. For this purpose, we analysed the size polymorphism at the 3′ end of the 24Sα ribosomal RNA gene (rRNA) and the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the partial 5′ sequence of the mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase subunit II gene (COII). Band patterns of the isolates were compared with reference samples of T. cruzi I (Silvio X10 and Col 17G2), T. cruzi II (Esmeraldo and JG), T. cruzi III (222 and 231), T. cruzi IV (CAN III), T. cruzi V (SO3 cl5), and T. cruzi VI (CL Brener). Our results confirmed that rRNA analysis is of limited use for assessing T. cruzi DTUs. COII RFLP analysis was suitable for screening, but for one isolate it was necessary to determine the COII partial sequence to identify the DTU. Only one of the isolates from humans belonged to T. cruzi I; 13 isolates belonged to T. cruzi II and one to T. cruzi III. The four isolates from opossums and five isolates from triatomines were identified as T. cruzi I. Four isolates from triatomines showed patterns of both T. cruzi I and II, indicating mixed infections. This study contributes to the characterisation of the dynamics of T. cruzi populations in southern Brazil.