RDNA Variability in Strains of Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar

Abstract

Among the different amebas that can live in the human gastrointestinal tract are Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar. Amebiasis is caused by Entamoeba histolytica and is responsible for ca. 100,000 deaths per year worldwide. However, many E. histolytica infections are asymptomatic, as they are for E. dispar. Therefore, the prevalence of amebiasis is unknown. The identification of markers capable of distinguishing both species for diagnosis and isolate characterization would be useful to better understand the pathogenicity and epidemiology of amebiasis. To obtain strain-specific markers, we studied the variability of genes that codify for the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) in E. histolytica and E. dispar , using low-stringency single specific primer PCR (LSSP-PCR). The polymorphism of this genes provided specific electrophoretic patterns for each sample. These patterns were stable after inoculation into animals or long-term cultivation.