Trypanosomatid isolates from Honduras: differentiation between Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli

With the aim of identifying and differentiating Trypanosoma cruzi from Trypanosoma rangeli, culture epimastigotes from 30 Honduran trypanosomatid isolates were analyzed by susceptibility to complement lysis, reactivity to lectins, reactivity to monoclonal antibodies specific for T. cruzi, and isoenzymatic electrophoretic patterns. Using these four methodologies, 27 of the 30 trypanosomatid isolates, as well as 5 clones, were identified as T. cruzi, whereas the remaining three isolates were classified as T. rangeli. None of the isolates presented mixed trypanosome species. Results indicate that both trypanosomatid species circulate in Honduras and that any of the four methods employed may be used to reliably differentiate T. cruzi from T. rangeli.