A PCR fingerprinting approach, using single non-specific primers, as well as restriction and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analyses of the amplified ribosomal internal transcribed spacer, were used to investigate genetic variability in the species Leishmania tropica. Twenty-nine strains of the 'L. tropica complex' from different Old World geographical areas were studied including 4 from Namibia, and 1 strain of L. killicki. All techniques revealed a high degree of genetic heterogeneity among the strains of L. tropica. The PCR fingerprinting displayed the highest discriminatory power, but can be applied only to cultured parasites. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region can be amplified directly from infected clinical samples and analysed subsequently. No strict correlation was discerned between the genetic variants and either the geographical origin of the strains or the clinical manifestations associated with human disease, except for the Namibian strains. Also, genetic variation did not correlate well with characterization by enzyme variant electrophoretic analysis. The strain of L. killicki always clustered together with the strains of L. tropica, suggesting it, probably, should not be considered a separate species of Leishmania. However, the 4 Namibian strains formed a distinct, statistically well-supported group closely related to but different from the other strains of L. tropica.

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