Cytochemical Analysis at the Fine‐Structural Level of Trypanosomatids Stained with Phosphotungstic Acid*

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Abstract
The ethanolic phosphotungstic acid (PTA) technique was used to detect, at the fine-structural level, basic proteins in various developmental stages of pathogenic Trypanosoma cruzi and nonpathogenic Herpetomonas samuelpessoai, Leptomonas samueli and Crithidia deanei, trypanosomatids. Reactions were observed in the nucleus of all stages. In the kinetoplast of epimastigote and promastigote forms reactions were noted mainly at the periphery. In trypomastigote and choanomastigote forms an intense reaction was observed throughout the kinetoplast. Reactions were present in cytoplasmic vesicles related to protein storage in T. cruzi and in membrane-bounded peroxisome-like organelles of H. samuelpessoai, L. samueli and C. deanei. The network of filaments which forms the paraxial rod did not react. In the flagellum, reaction was noted only at the peripheral doublet microtubules. PTA reacts with structures related to the junction between the flagellar and cell body membranes.