[Comparative morphological studies on the kinetoplast of various species of trypanosomes, with special reference to trypanosoma cruzi (author's transl)].

Comparative electron microscope studies on the morphology of the kinetoplast DNA (K-DNA) of the epimastigotes in many trypanosome species were carried out under standardized conditions. The K-DNA shows a morphological variation during the cell cycle of culture forms of the trypanosome species under study. In longitudinal sections of the kinetoplast, the K-DNA of T. cruzi appears as a compact trabecular structure; as a relatively disaggregated unit, with a central band or in a transitional stage between these forms. The conspicuous central band of the K-DNA which occurs at the beginning of cell division when the basal body is duplicated, could be demonstrated in all the 8 T. cruzi isolates studied. This has been found in the human-pathogen strains as well as in the T. cruzi-like trypanosomes of wild animals. In contrast, in comparable developmental stages of T. conorhini, T. rangeli and two strains of T. lewisi, this structural configuration of the K-DNA could not be observed. Based on these results, the extent to which the central band of K-DNA may be used in differentiating between trypanosomes is discussed. These findings may also reflect the present state of knowledge, as based on the study of 12 trypanosome isolates, so that corrections or additions may be lateron possible.