Differentiation of Trypanosoma cruzi Chagas, 1909 and Trypanosoma vespertilionis Battaglia, 1904 by various lectins.

Four-days-old culture forms of Trypanosoma cruzi (strain Téhuantépéc, Guatemala) and Trypanosoma vespertilionis (strain P-14, P-9) were tested by 19 carbohydrate-specific agglutinins. The T. cruzi strains are interspecifically distinguishable with the lectins from Euonymus europaeus, Tridacna crocea, Tridacna maxima and the human blood-group testserum anti-B from the T. vespertilionis strains. While the T. vespertilionis strains did react with anti-B and E. europaeus, the T. cruzi strains did not agglutinate. The T. cruzi strains were agglutinated by the lectins from T. crocea and T: maxima while the bat-trypanosomes showed no reactions. Using these lectins it was not possible to distinguish the bat-flagellates intraspecifically. With the lectins from Triticum vulgaris and Arachis hypogaea the T. cruzi strains could be distinguished. While the Ténuantépéc strain did agglutinate with A. hypogaea, T. cruzi strain Guatemala did react only with the lectin from T. vulgaris. The bat-trypanosomes were agglutinated only by A. hypogaea but not by T. vulgaris. The reactions of these trypanosome-species with A. papillata and T. vulgaris demonstrate that both trypanosome species have N-acetylneuraminic acid on their cell surfaces.