Characterization of SSU and LSU rRNA genes of threeTrypanosoma (Herpetosoma) grosiisolates maintained in Mongolian jirds
Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma) grosi, which naturally parasitizesApodemusspp., can experimentally infect Mongolian jirds (Meriones unguiculatus). Three isolates fromA. agrarius,A. peninsulae, andA. speciosus(named SESUJI, HANTO, and AKHA isolates, respectively) of different geographical origin (AKHA from Japan, and the others from Vladivostok), exhibited different durations of parasitaemia in laboratory jirds (2 weeks for HANTO, and 3 weeks for the others). To assess the genetic background of theseT. grosiisolates, their small (SSU) and large subunit (LSU) ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) were sequenced along with those of 2 otherHerpetosomaspecies from squirrels. The SSU rDNA sequences of these 3 species along with available sequences of 3 otherHerpetosomatrypanosomes (T. lewisi,T. musculiandT. microti)seemed to reflect well the phylogenetic relationship of their hosts. Three isolates ofT. grosiexhibited base changes at 2–6 positions of 2019-base 18S rDNA, at 5–29 positions of 1817/1818-base 28Sα rDNA, or 1–5 positions of 1557–1559-base 28Sβ rDNA, and none was separated from the other 2 isolates by rDNA nucleotide sequences. Since base changes ofHerpetosomatrypanosomes at the level of inter- and intra-species might occur frequently in specified rDNA regions, the molecular analysis on these regions of rodent trypanosomes could help species/strain differentiation and systematic revision ofHerpetosomatrypanosome species, which must be more abundant than presently known.