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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2009, p. 1718-1725, Vol. 47, No. 6
0095-1137/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01658-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Probing Population Dynamics of Trypanosoma cruzi during Progression of the Chronic Phase in Chagasic Patients{triangledown}

Daniella Alchaar D'Ávila,1 Andréa Mara Macedo,2 Helder Magno Silva Valadares,2 Eliane Dias Gontijo,3 Ana Maria de Castro,5 Carlos Renato Machado,2 Egler Chiari,1 and Lúcia Maria Cunha Galvão1,4*

Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil,1 Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil,2 Departamento de Medicina Preventiva e Social, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil,3 Programas de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde e Ciências Farmacêuticas, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil,4 Departamento de Microbiologia, Imunologia, Parasitologia e Patologia, Instituto de Patologia Tropical e Saúde Pública, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, Brazil5

Received 26 August 2008/ Returned for modification 1 November 2008/ Accepted 18 March 2009

Our research aimed to characterize the genetic profiles of 102 Trypanosoma cruzi isolates recently obtained from 44 chronic chagasic patients from different regions of the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás in Brazil. At least two isolates were obtained from each patient at different times in order to study the parasite population dynamics during disease progression in the chronic phase. The isolates were characterized molecularly by genotyping the 3' region of the 24S{alpha} rRNA, the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 2 (COII) gene, and the intergenic region of the spliced leader intergenic region (SL-IR) gene. Seventy-seven isolates were analyzed for nine microsatellite loci. The data presented here show a strong correlation between the T. cruzi lineage II (T. cruzi II) and human infection in these regions of Brazil. Interestingly, isolates from two patients were initially characterized (by rRNA genotyping) as T. cruzi I and hybrid strains, but subsequent analyses of the COII and SL-IR genes confirmed that those isolates belonged to T. cruzi III and a hybrid group, respectively. Our results confirm the risk of misclassifying T. cruzi isolates on the basis of analysis of a single molecular marker. The microsatellite profiles showed that different isolates obtained from the same patient were genetically identical and monoclonal. Exceptions were observed for T. cruzi isolates from two patients who presented differences for the SCLE11 locus and also from two other patients who showed amplification of three peaks for a microsatellite locus (TcAAAT6), implying that they were multiclonal. On the basis of the findings of the studies described here, we were not able to establish a correlation between the clinical forms of Chagas' disease and the genetic profiles of the T. cruzi isolates.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627 Caixa Postal 486, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Phone: 55-31-34092866. Fax: 55-31-34092970. E-mail: galvao{at}icb.ufmg.br

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 8 April 2009.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, June 2009, p. 1718-1725, Vol. 47, No. 6
0095-1137/09/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.01658-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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