Proton nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of metabolic end products of the Bolivia strain of Trypanosoma cruzi and three of its clones.

Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) was used to study the in vivo metabolism of Trypanosoma cruzi, the pathogen causing American trypanosomiasis (Chagas' disease). Three clones were isolated from a strain of T. cruzi (Bolivia strain), The clones I, II and III and the original strain were characterized according to the spectra of their metabolic pathways to test the hypothesis that clonal evolution of T. cruzi has a major impact on biologically relevant properties of this parasite. T. cruzi (Bolivia strain) excreted acetate, alanine, glycerol, and succinate as major end products, in the proportion 6:4:2:2. Comparing the spectra of T. cruzi clones with the original Bolivia strain revealed both quantitative, as well as qualitative differences in the metabolites excreted: the clones I and II, as opposed to the Bolivia strain and clone III, excreted significant quantities of ethanol.