Polymorphism of the Thymidylate Synthase Gene of Pneumocystis carinii from Different Host Species |
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Authors: | EDITH MAZARS CARMEN ÖDBERG-FERRAGUT EDUARDO DEI-CAS MARIE-NOELLE FOURMAUX EL MOUKHTAR ALIOUAT MONIQUE BRUN-PASCAUD GENEVIEVE MOUGEOT DANIEL CAMUS |
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Institution: | INSERM (U. 42) 369 rue J. Guesde, 59650 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.;Laboratory of Parasitology-Mycology, Faculty of Medicine, 1 Place Verdun 59046 Lille, France.;INSERM (U. 13), 190 boulevard Mac Donald 75944 Paris, France.;Faculty of Medicine Saint Antoine, 27 rue de Chaligny 75571 Paris, France. |
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Abstract: | Pneumocystis carinii is an opportunistic agent found in the lung of various mammals which often causes severe pneumonia in immunocompromised humans, especially in AIDS patients. In the past several years significant additions have been made to the collection of knowledge we have concerning the genetic diversity of P. carinii. These additions provide new understanding of Pneumocystis transmission and the effect of possible reservoirs of Pneumocystis in the various species. In this study, a 400-bp fragment of the thymidylate synthase (TS) gene of P. carinii has been amplified by PCR from 43 parasite isolates obtained from 4 mammalian host species: rat, mouse, rabbit and human. A probe selected from the TS gene sequence of rat-derived P. carinii was hybridized with the amplified products from rat- and mouse-derived P. carinii, but not with rabbit or human P. carinii DNA. Restriction profiles were performed on amplified fragments from all isolates, and the 4 nucleotide sequences of the TS gene fragment amplifed from rat, mouse, rabbit and human P. carinii were determined. Differences were detected in the gene fragment in P. carinii isolates from the 4 host species; however no difference was revealed in P. carinii isolates within a single host species, whatever the host strain or its geographic origin. Thus, the sequence differences of the P. carinii TS gene appeared as host-species specific. A specific probe which recognized all human P. carinii isolates was defined. |
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Keywords: | Diagnosis epidemiology genomic markers PCR probe restriction profile sequence |
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