Isoenzyme comparison of Trypanozoon isolates from two sleeping sickness areas of south-eastern Uganda

The study characterized 151 Trypanozoon isolates from south-east Uganda by isoenzyme electrophoresis. Stocks were from a range of hosts, including man, cattle, pigs, dogs and Glossina fuscipes fuscipes: 104 isolates were from the Busoga area, 47 were from the Tororo district. Stocks were characterized on thin layer starch gel using eight enzyme systems: ALAT, ASAT, ICD, MDH, ME, NHD, NHI, PGM. Enzyme profiles were generally typical of East Africa; new patterns for ICD and ME were detected. Trypanosomes were classified on the basis of their profile by similarity coefficient analysis and the unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA). The majority of trypanosomes were classified in one or other of two genetically distinct groups which corresponded to the strain groups busoga and zambezi, both of which are associated with Rhodesian sleeping sickness in East Africa. Contingency table analyses indicated associations between certain isoenzymes of ICD and PGM, according to host and geographical origin. Significant relationships between trypanosome strain group and geographic origin were also demonstrated for some host groups.