Description of Leishmania equatorensis sp. n. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae), a new parasite infecting arboreal mammals in Ecuador

[摘要] Characterization is given of a new parasite, Leishmania equatoriensis sp.n. wich was isolated from the viscera of a sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni) and a squirrel (Sciurus granatensis), captured in humid tropical forestonthe Pacific Coast of Ecuador. Data based on biological and molecular criteria, as well as numerical zymotaxonomical analysis, indicate that this parasite is a new species of the L. brasiliensis complex. L. equatoriensis is cleary distinguishable form all other known species within this complex, using the following molecular criteria: reactivity patterns with specific monoclonal antibodies, isoenzyme electrophoresis, and restriction-endonuclease fragment patterns of kinetoplast DNA (k-DNA).

[关键词] Leishmania equatorensis sp. n.;Protozoa;Kinetoplastida;Trypanosomatidae;mammalian reservoirs;molecular characterization;monoclonal antibodies;isoenzyme electrophoresis;kinetoplast DNA analysis