[Presence of genetic exchange in Crithidia oncopelti (Trypanosomatidae) studied with drug resistance markers].

Strains resistant to 100 mkg/ml of cycloheximide (ChxR100) and to 2.5 mg/ml of chloramphenicol (CapR2.5) were used in studies for the presence of genetic interchange in C. oncopelti. Phenotypes of these strains were stable on the nonselective medium and specific. Strains ChxR100 and CapR2.5 were mixed in equal proportions, cultivated during 7 days and tested. Under consecutive effect of inhibitors the culture of strains mixture and clones isolated from it exhibited double resistance. Phenotypes of recombinant clones were stable on the nonselective medium during, at the minimum, 70 to 90 cell generations. At the same conditions control cultures of parental strains and clones did not exhibit resistance that excludes the possibility of origin of cells resistant to both antibiotics from Crithidia of one of the parental strains as a result of secondary mutation. Thus, the results obtained show convincingly the presence of genetic interchange between flagellates of ChxR100 and CapR2.5 strains.