Cupolillo E, Momen H, Grimaldi G
Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 1998 Sep-Oct;93(5):663-8. doi: 10.1590/s0074-02761998000500018.
Our results have shown the wide diversity of parasites within New World Leishmania. Biochemical and molecular characterization of species within the genus has revealed that much of the population heterogeneity has a genetic basis. The source of genetic diversity among Leishmania appears to arise from predominantly asexual, clonal reproduction, although occasional bouts of sexual reproduction can not be ruled out. Genetic variation is extensive with some clones widely distributed and others seemingly unique and localized to a particular endemic focus. Epidemiological studies of leishmaniasis has been directed to the ecology and dynamics of transmission of Leishmania species/variants, particularly in localized areas. Future research using molecular techniques should aim to identify and follow Leishmania types in nature and correlate genetic typing with important clinical characteristics such as virulence, pathogenicity, drug resistance and antigenic variation. The epidemiological significance of such variation not only has important implications for the control of the leishmaniases, but would also help to elucidate the evolutionary biology of the causative agents.
我们的研究结果显示，新大陆利什曼原虫属内的寄生虫具有广泛的多样性。该属物种的生化和分子特征表明，种群的许多异质性都有遗传基础。利什曼原虫之间遗传多样性的来源似乎主要源于无性克隆繁殖，不过也不能排除偶尔的有性繁殖情况。遗传变异广泛存在，一些克隆广泛分布，而另一些似乎是独特的，局限于特定的地方病灶。利什曼病的流行病学研究一直针对利什曼原虫物种/变种的生态和传播动态，特别是在局部地区。未来使用分子技术的研究应旨在识别和追踪自然界中的利什曼原虫类型，并将基因分型与毒力、致病性、耐药性和抗原变异等重要临床特征相关联。这种变异的流行病学意义不仅对利什曼病的控制具有重要意义，还将有助于阐明病原体的进化生物学。
