Some methods for the enzymic characterization of Latin-American Leishmania with particular reference to Leishmania mexicana amazonensis and subspecies of Leishmania hertigi

Abstract

30 Brazilian stocks of Leishmania mexicana amazonensis and 13 stocks of subspecies of Leishmania hertigi were characterized by starch-gel electrophoresis, using 18 enzymes selected from a total of 36 investigated. L. m. amazonensis was separable from subspecies of L. hertigi by enzymic profiles of 11 enzymes. The L. m. amazonensis stocks, which were from a wide range of hosts in a large geographical area, were enzymically extremely homogeneous, and could only be subdivided on two enzymes; sub-groups did not relate to each other or to any differences in epidemiological characters, including the clinical form of the human disease. 12 stocks regarded as L. hertigi deanei, that were isolated from Coendou prehensilis prehensilis and Coendou sp. in Pará State, Brazil, were separable into two sub-groups by three enzymes. A single stock of L. hertigi hertigi from Panama was separable from both enzymic sub-groups of L. h. deanei, in each case by three enzymes. The significance of these and other characters of diversity is discussed, together with the use of enzymes for the identification of the leishmaniae.

Leishmania (Viannia) naiffisp. n., a parasite of the armadillo,Dasypus novemcinctus(L.) in Amazonian brazil

“…This, and the restriction of the parasite to the midgut of sandflies which had taken a recent Table I 1976, 1979Chance et al, 1974Chance et al, , 1977 (Miles et al, 1980;Lainson & Shaw, 1987). The parasite was only seen in those sandflies with partially digested blood-meals, and seemed incapable of surviving after digestion of the blood, as confirmed by observations on experimentally infected Lu.…”

Ecology of the Leishmania Species in the Guianan Ecoregion Complex

“…However, isolates from different polymorphic species show plesiomorphic similarities in their enzymatic or genetic profiles, suggesting that they may have originated from one primary sylvatic enzootic form. 80,81 Globally, although L. (V.) braziliensis [82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90] and in a lesser extent L. (V.) amazonensis 85,91 were shown to be highly polymorphic, L. (V.) naiffi, 45,82,83 L. (V.) guyanensis, 46,83,88 and L. (L.) deanei 92 were shown to have less diversity. Leishmania (V.) lainsoni was shown to be more invariant.…”

“…162 However, although this parasite was isolated from the vector Lu. furcata that was collected in a hollow tree in which an infected porcupines was living, 92 there are doubts regarding this host based on etho-ecologic and physiologic considerations of the role of primary vector for this parasite. 6 Further studies are required to understand this parasite pathogenic complex.…”

“…Some intra-specific variations were found by isoenzymatic starch gel electrophoresis. 92 147,163 This highly anthropophilic sylvatic phlebotomine species, which is commonly found in the Amazon region, is said to attack humans both during the day and at night. In the Serra dos Carajás region in Pará, Lu.…”

Serodiagnosis of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis in human and canine populations living in Indigenous Reserves in the Brazilian Amazon Region

“…The L. infantum chagasi strain MHOM/BR/72/strain46 was isolated from a human case of VL that arose in the municipality of Mantena, and was characterized using monoclonal antibodies 10 and isoenzymes 11 at the Evandro Chagas Institute (IEC), Belém, Brazil. It was then maintained in hamsters with subcultures taken every two to three months.…”