Kinetoplast DNA heterogeneity among Leishmania infantum strains in central Israel and Palestine

Leishmania infantum is the causative agent of canine and human visceral leishmaniasis in Israel and Palestine. Amplification of the kinetoplast DNA (kDNA), followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis with restriction enzymes was used to examine the genotypic association between L. infantum strains isolated from 22 dogs and 2 humans from these adjoining regions. Results showed wide kDNA heterogeneity in these strains. Two main clusters (A and B) were identified. Cluster A was restricted to central Israel and was mainly found in strains isolated after 2002 whereas cluster B included parasites from central Israel and the West Bank. The kDNA microheterogeneity in L. infantum parasite populations as shown by genotyping with the kDNA-PCR and RFLP provided a tool to study the epidemiology of the disease and track its spread in central Israel and Palestine.