Different molecular markers have been employed for typing
Trypanosoma cruzi strains from endemic areas of Chagas disease. The low-stringency single specific primer–polymerase chain reaction (LSSP–PCR)
has been a sensitive and informative technique that uses the variable region of kinetoplast DNA minicircles as a genetic marker,
allowing detection of DNA sequence variation. In the present study, we analyzed the intra-lineage genetic variability of the
T. cruzi strains obtained from triatomine feces collected on filter paper FTA card by LSSP–PCR. The hybridization of the PCR products
with a probe for the subgenus
Schizotrypanum and a clone-specific probe from Dm28c confirmed the subgenus as
T. (
S.)
cruzi and respective lineages as
T. cruzi I. Phenetic analysis showed the presence of three clusters that diverged by different coefficients of similarity. Thirteen
T. cruzi I genotypes were observed circulating among
Triatoma pseudomaculata and
Rhodnius nasutus from peridomiciliary and natural environments in five peri-urban and urban localities of Jaguaruana, Ceará, Brazil. These
data indicate the importance of the circulation of
T. cruzi I genotypes among
T. pseudomaculata and
R. nasutus in different environments and the possible risk of Chagas disease domestic transmission.