Haplotype identification within Trypanosoma cruzi I in Colombian isolates from several reservoirs, vectors and humans

Genetic variability in the Trypanosoma cruzi I group has recently been revealed in Colombian isolates from humans, reservoirs and vectors. Genomic rearrangements and the polymorphic regions in taxonomic markers, such as the miniexon gene, have led to the development of molecular tools to identify phylogenetic haplotypes in T. cruzi isolates. From genetic polymorphisms found in T. cruzi I isolates, they have been classified into four haplotypes according to their epidemiologic transmission cycles. Haplotype Ia is associated with domestic isolates, from Rhodnius prolixus; haplotype Ib, with the domestic and peridomestic cycle, mainly associated with Triatoma dimidiata; haplotype Ic is a poorly characterized group, which has been associated with the peridomestic cycle; and haplotype Id has been related to the sylvatic cycle.In order to demonstrate that the circulating T. cruzi I isolates in Colombia can be classified in the four proposed haplotypes, specific primers were designed on polymorphic regions of the miniexon gene's intergenic sequences. This set of primers allowed the molecular characterization of 33 Colombian isolates, classifying them into three of the four proposed haplotypes (Ia, Ib and Id).Results obtained from maximum parsimony and maximum-likelihood-based phylogenetic analyses correlated with the molecular classification of the isolates and their transmission cycles. This study brings insights into the Chagas disease epidemiology and the parasite's transmission dynamics.