Analysis of antigenic types appearing in first relapse populations of clones of Trypanosoma brucei.

Variant antigenic types (VATs) represented in a total of 47 first relapse populations of 6 clones of Trypanosoma brucei LUMP 227 were identified by immunofluorescent staining of living trypanosomes, using antiserum raised against purified surface antigens. The relative growth rates of these 6 clones were measured both individually and when grown together in a mixed population, and were found to be different under these two sets of conditions. A pattern emerged in the VATs represented in relapses of each clone, with some types being expressed more frequently than others and certain VATs being only very rarely expressed. It is suggested that new VATs are expressed according to a statistically definable order of priority which is different for each parent VAT, and that some VATs may be able to change to certain others only after passing through an intermediate VAT. The order of priority of appearance of VATs does not appear to correlate with growth rate measured either in individual clones or when clones are grown in a mixed population.