Electrophoretic karyotyping is a sensitive epidemiological tool for studying Trypanosoma evansi infections

Thirty-six isolates of trypanozoon trypanosomes collected from camels in Northern Kenya during the dry season sporadic infections of 1986 and during the wet season epidemic infections of 1987 were identified as Trypanosoma evansi by the homogeneity of their kinetoplast DNA minicircles. Although the minicircles of all the isolates were indistinguishable, polymorphism in chromosome-sized DNA molecules detected by electrophoresis was extensive. The isolates could be grouped into eight distinct electrophoretic karyotypes which could be distinguished from three additional karyotypes identified among earlier T. evansi isolates. In one camel herd with a long history of trypanocide application, which was continued during the present study, all isolates bar one belonged to one karyotype group. From a second herd, in which trypanosomosis management was by individual treatment of proven parasitaemic cases, isolates with diverse karyotypes were obtained. Some of the karyotypes identified during the dry season sporadic infections were re-isolated in the subsequent wet season epidemic. These observations indicate that distinguishing T. evansi isolates by molecular electrophoretic karyotypes is more discriminating than kDNA analysis. Observations of karyotype patterns recurring in isolates from herds kept under chemoprophylaxis could help in the identification of drug-resistant parasites.