We phenotypically characterized 43 leishmanial parasites from cutaneous leishmaniasis by isoenzyme electrophoresis and the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (23 McAbs).Identifications revealed 11 (25.6%) strains of Leishmania (V.
) braziliensis, 4 (9.3%) of L.(V.
) shawi shawi, 7 (16.3%) of L.(V.
) shawi santarensis, 6 (13.9%) of L.(V.
) guyanensis and L.(V.) lainsoni, 2 (4.
7%) of L.(L.) amazonensis, and 7 (16.
3%) of a putative hybrid parasite, L.(V.) guyanensis/L.
(V.) shawi shawi.McAbs detected three different serodemes of L.
(V.) braziliensis: I-7, II-1, and III-3 strains.Among the strains of L.
(V.) turbosound ts-18sw700/8a shawi we identified two populations: one (7 strains) expressing the B19 epitope that was previously considered to be species-specific for L.(V.
) guyanensis.We have given this population sub-specific rank, naming it L.(V.
) s.santarensis.The other one (4 strains) did not express the B19 epitope like here the L.
(V.) shawi reference strain, which we now designate as L.(V.
) s.shawi.For the first time in the eastern Brazilian Amazon we register a putative hybrid parasite (7 strains), L.
(V.) guyanensis/L.(V.
) s.shawi, characterized by a new 6PGDH three-band profile at the level of L.(V.
) guyanensis.Its PGM profile, however, was very similar to that of L.(V.
) s.shawi.These results suggest that the lower Amazon region – western Pará state, Brazil, represents a biome where L.
(V.) guyanensis and L.(V.
) s.shawi exchange genetic information.