Isoenzyme characterization of 112 Leishmania isolates from French Guiana

112 Leishmania isolates, obtained in French Guiana from human lesions, phlebotomine sandflies and wild mammals, were characterized by isoenzyme electrophoresis. Leishmania braziliensis guyanensis and L. mexicana amazonensis were found parasitizing different natural hosts. L.b. guyanensis was the dominant species (103 isolates) responsible for most of the human lesions (96.7%). Based on variations observed in 2 enzymes, 3 distinct zymodemes were distinguished within the L.b. guyanensis taxon.