PREFACE

The kinetoplastid flagellates are interesting organisms as the order

Kinetoplastida embraces medically and economically important Leishmania
and Trypanosoma. It is conjectured that during the course of evolution of
parasitism some opportunist genera namely Leishmania and Trypanosoma
could find out their final hosts in mammals and was manifested to tropical
diseases like leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis respectively. It is
conceived worth while to study the basic protozoology of the pathogenic
and non-pathogenic gut flagellates (mono and biflagellates) to find out the
trend of evolution.

Three flagellates - Leishmania donovani (isolated from kala-azar

patient), Herpetomonas indica n.sp. (isolated from hindgut of Chrysomya
megacephala, first report) and Bodo indica n.sp. (isolated from hindgut of
Lethocerus indicus, first report) were maintained in laboratory base
medium. Growth in different media were studied and morphological studies
on the basis of light and electron (both scanning and transmission)
microscopy were done. Biochemical studies on the basis of electrophoretic
mobilities of proteins on sodium-dodecyl-sulphate-polyacry lamide gel
electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and on the basis of isoenzyme banding patterns
were studied. Antigenic similarities among these three flagellates were
studied using some serological tests.

Results indicated that

The optimum temperature for the growth of these flagellates are

25°C. The pH 6.8 is optimal for the growth of B. indica n.sp. whereas pH
7.2 is optimal for H. indica n.sp. and 1L. donovani. Modified glycerol
beef extract medium is best for cultivation of B. indica n.sp. and modi­
fied Tobie's medium is suitable for H. indica n.sp. and L. donovani.
Freshly prepared beef heart infusion contains some factors which initiated
the colony formation in blood agar plates.

The kinetoplast nucleoid is reticular in B. indica n.sp. whereas in

H^. indica n.sp. and L. donovani it is compact. Bodo indica n.sp.
possesses all the characters of the genus Bodo. The opisthomastigote form,
the characteristic feature of Herpetomonas, is present in H. indica n.sp.
 Sodium-dodecyl-sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis
show along with many uncommon bands some common bands at 68 kD, 60
kD, 43 kD, 33 kD and 20 kD. The ACP, ALP, G6PDH, CPI, ICDH and ME
show different banding patterns in three flagellates.

The serological tests like GDP, IEP, IFAT, ELISA show that all the
flagellates have common antigen epitopes. The E1TB shows common
immunogenic bands with heterologous and homologous antibodies at the
region of 60 kD.