Genetic Variability of the Internal Transcribed Spacer and Pyruvate:Ferredoxin Oxidoreductase Partial Gene of from Female Patients.

In the present study, we evaluated the genetic variability of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase () A gene of from female patients and its possible implications in the host-parasite relationship. Phylogenetic and genetics of populations analyses were performed by analyzing sequences of the ITS region and partial A gene of clinical samples with , as previously documented. Alignments of protein sequences and prediction of three-dimensional structure were also performed. Although no correlation between the main clinical characteristics of the samples and the results of phylogeny was found, a median-joining analysis of ITS haplotypes showed two main clusters. Also, A, due to its phylogenetic divergence, could be used as a marker to confirm the genus and species of trichomonads. Alignment of protein sequences and prediction of three-dimensional structure showed that PFOR A had a highly conserved structure with two synonymous mutations in the PFOR domain, substituting a V for a G or a S for a P. Our results suggest that the role of genetic variability of PFOR and ITS may not be significant in the symptomatology of this pathogen; however, their utility as genus and species markers in trichomonads is promising.