Molecular characterization of the short interspersed repetitive element SIRE in the six discrete typing units (DTUs) of Trypanosoma cruzi

► Repetitive SIRE element is present in the genome of all Trypanosoma cruzi DTUs. ► SIRE could be an active element in the parasite genome. ► SIRE Southern blot profiles differentiate DTU-I from the other DTUs. ► Given its features SIRE sequence is a good target for parasite DNA amplification.