Intra- and interspecific polymorphisms ofLeishmania donovani andL. tropica minicircle DNA

A pair of degenerate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers
(LEI-1, TCG GAT CC[C,T] [G,C]TG GGT AGG GGC GT; LEI-2, ACG GAT
CC[G,C] [G,C][A,C]C TAT [A,T]TT ACA CC) defining a 0.15-kb segment
ofLeishmania minicircle DNA was constructed. These primers
amplified not only inter- but also intraspecifically polymorphic
sequences. Individual sequences revealed a higher intraspecific
than interspecific divergence. It is concluded that individual
sequences are of limited relevance for species determination. In
contrast, when a data base of 19 different sequences was analyzed
in a dendrographic plot, an accurate species differentiation was
feasible.