[Comparative electron microscope studies on the kinetoplast morphology of bat-trypanosomes and Trypanosoma cruzi...

Comparative studies on the ultrastructural morphology of kinetoplasts of trypanosomes belonging to the subgenus Schizotrypanum have been made. Three isolates of Trypanosoma vespertilionis and two strains of Trypanosoma dionisii derived from European bats were tested. Comparison was made also with two isolates from Brasilian bats characterized as T. cruzi and two strains which were derived from two patients suffering from Chagas' disease. In the epimastigote culture form of T. cruzi a typical configuration of kDNA becomes obvious, appearing as a central band at the beginning of cell division. It was investigated whether this morphological character can be used in differentiating between bat-trypanosomes and T. cruzi and on the species characterization of bat-trypanosomes. The central band of kDNA could be demonstrated in all cases of the trypanosomes examined. The special configuration of kDNA makes it possible to distinguish exactly between trypanosomes of the subgenus Schizotrypanum and other trypanosomes. Nevertheless this pecularity alone is not sufficient for characterizing species of that subgenus.