Sexual reproduction in a natural Trypanosoma cruzi population.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sexual reproduction provides an evolutionary advantageous mechanism that combines favorable mutations that have arisen in separate lineages into the same individual. This advantage is especially pronounced in microparasites as allelic reassortment among individuals caused by sexual reproduction promotes allelic diversity at immune evasion genes within individuals which is often essential to evade host immune systems. Despite these advantages, many eukaryotic microparasites exhibit highly-clonal population structures suggesting that genetic exchange through sexual reproduction is rare. Evidence supporting clonality is particularly convincing in the causative agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, despite equally convincing evidence of the capacity to engage in sexual

SUBMITTER: Berry ASF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6544315 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature