AbstractThe surface membrane antigens of infectiousTrypanosoma cruzitrypomastigotes were studied at the levels of the strain and of individual trypomastigote clones. Blood trypomastigotes from threeT. cruzistrains, Y, CL and Tehuantepec (“Teh”), were grownin vitroby weekly infection of J774 mouse macrophage tumor cells. EachT. cruzistrain was subsequently cloned by infection of J774 cells at limited trypomastigote dilution, and antisera were produced in mice against a selection of trypomastigote clones. Criss‐cross panel analyses indicated the existence of a large degree of polymorphism among trypomastigote surface antigens. Various trypomastigote surface antigens were cross‐reactive, appeared to be highly conserved, and were common to the three strains considered and to all the clones derived from each strain. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that numerous trypomastigote antigenic proteins were precipitated by mouse antisera generated against cloned trypomastigotes. Some of these proteins were commonly distributed, while others were polymorphic. Finally, a state of cross‐reactive immunity could be induced in C3H/He mice by infection with a clonedT. cruzitrypomastigote population. Immune mice resisted subsequent infections with lethal doses of wild‐type bloodstream trypomastigotes from any one of the threeT. c
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