TRYPANOSOMA SAIMIRII RODHAIN, A JUNIOR SYNONYM OF TRYPANOSOMA RANGELI TEJERA

In the present study, we used sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to compare polypeptides of trypanosomes isolated by hemoculture of squirrel monkeys displaying Trypanosoma saimirii blood trypomastigotes, with other trypanosomes that infect primates to evaluate the validity of T. saimirii. The polypeptide profiles of trypanosomes isolated directly from squirrel monkeys or after their passage in mice were identical to those of 3 standard strains of T. rangeli, but they were distinct from those of T. cruzi, T. conorhini, and T. minasense. These results strengthen previous morphological and biological findings by Rodhain on trypanosomes of the squirrel monkey and lead to the conclusion that T. saimirii is indeed a junior synonym of T. rangeli.