African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 3 (1), pp. 94-98, January 2004

Full Length Research Paper

Characterization of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense stocks isolated from humans by RAPD fingerprinting in Côte d’Ivoire: another evidence for multiple infections

Bruno Oury¹, Vincent Jamonneau², Michel Tibayrenc¹, Philippe Truc^3*

¹Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Research Unit 165 "Génétique et Evolution des Maladies Infectieuses" UMR CNRS/IRD 2724, BP 64501 34394 Montpellier cedex 5, France.

²Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Research Unit 35 Trypanosomoses Africaines, Institut Pierre Richet, BP 1500, Bouaké, Côte d’Ivoire.

³Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, IRD, Research Unit 35 BP 1857, Organisation de Coordination pour la lutte contre les Endémies en Afrique Centrale (OCEAC), Department of Research and Control of Human African Trypanosomiasis, BP 288, Yaounde, Cameroon.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: truc@iccnet.cm, Phone: + 237 984 60 57, Fax: + 237 220 18 54.

Accepted 3 December 2003

Trypanosoma brucei gambiense was isolated twice from each of 23 patients in Côte d’Ivoire. Genetic characterization using RAPD (Random Primed Amplified Polymorphic DNA) showed additional variability within a given isoenzyme profile (zymodeme), confirming that this fingerprinting method has a higher discriminative power (faster molecular clock) than isoenzymes. RAPD confirmed also the evidence of multiple infections by different genotypes in the same patient despite a low genetic variability among Trypanosoma brucei gambiense stocks. The involvement of this phenomenon in treatment failure is discussed.

Key words: Human African Trypanosomiasis, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, RAPD, multiple infections.