SELECTION OF PHYLOGENETICALLY CLOSELY-RELATED YERSINIA PESTIS STRAINS DIFFERING IN THEIR VIRULENCE FOR GUINEA PIGS

Abstract

Genomic, transcriptome or (and) proteomic comparison of closely related virulent and avirulent microbial strains underlies the search for new pathogenicity factors, potential molecular targets for etiotropic therapy, vaccine prevention and immunotherapy of infectious diseases. This investigation was aimed in testing the ability of method of testicular animalization to select phylogenetically close pairs of Y. pestis strains, which dramatically differ in their pathogenicity for guinea pigs, from the populations of as a rule subcutaneously avirulent for guinea pigs “vole” strains of the plague pathogen. Animalization of Y. pestis cultures were performed on guinea pig males by fourfold testicular passage with reducing infective dose. There was no correlation between the ability to cause generalized infectious process (death) after testicular and subcutaneous infection of guinea pigs, but testicular passages made it possible to enrich bacterial culture with a portion of microbes displaying high virulence after subcutaneous infection of this animal species. The methodical approach under study can be successfully applied for selection of pairs of phylogenetically closely related bacterial strains, dramatically differing in their degrees of selective virulence.

Keywords

• yersinia pestis
• vole strains
• selective virulence
• guinea pigs
• animalization
• testicular passage