Characterization of Trypanosoma cruzi from Argentina by electrophoretic zymograms.

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic patterns for six enzymes in 73 isolates and 38 clones of Trypanosoma cruzi from different areas of Argentina were classified into 12 zymodemes. The isolates were obtained from human patients with acute, chronic or congenital Chagas' disease, vector insects, domestic and sylvatic animals. Two out of 8 isolates cloned were shown to be heterogeneous. Zymodemes 1 and 12 exhibit widespread geographic distribution; isolates belonging to both zymodemes account for 55% of the total analyzed. The other zymodemes are not widely geographically dispersed. Although there is a clear predominance of zymodeme 1 among asymptomatic patients, the data do not show a clear relationship between particular zymodemes and the clinical picture. The results suggest that the sylvatic and domestic transmission cycles overlap. This remarkable heterogeneity of T. cruzi in Argentina supports the possible multiclonal origin of these parasite populations.