Arp GENE NUCLEOTID SEQUENCES VARIABILITY IN RUSSIAN TREPONEMA PALLIDUM ISOLATES

Abstract

Aim. Analysis of the arp gene internal fragment nucleotide sequences variability in modern russian T. pallidum subsp. pallidum strains. Materials and methods. 57 T. pallidum isolates obtained from specialized dermatovenerologic clinics of the Central (Kaluga), the North Caucasus (Stavropol) and the Siberian (Tyva) regions in 2016 — 2017 were used in the study. The sequensing of the arp gene was performed using capillary electrophoresis technology. Results. A two-round amplification of the arp gene have been proposed, which ensures a correct reading of its internal region. Four variants of 60-nucleotide repeats in the internal arp fragment are described, which differing in 6, 8 and 15 — 17 codons compositions. Various combinations of these repeats, corresponding to the reference Nichols strain, globally distributed Street 14 genogroup, and the firstly described Stavropol regional variant are shown. Conclusion. The prospect of arp gene sequencing as a way to increase T. pallidum molecular typing efficiency is postulated.

Keywords

• treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum
• molecular typing
• arp gene
• sequencing