Updating of Intra-Specific <i>Yersinia pestis</i> Classification, Based on the Results of Whole-Genome Sequencing of the Strains from the Russian Federation and the Neighboring States

Abstract

Carried out has been genome-wide sequencing of 20 Yersinia pestis strains from all 11 natural plague foci in Russia and some foci in the neighboring states. Phylogenetic analysis on the basis of 1918 core SNPs, identified in the genomes of these strains and 16 Y. pestis strains from NCBI GenBank, has revealed 5 clusters of closely related strains. Taking these clusters into account, up-dated has been subspecific classification of plague agent. New taxonomy has combined 5 subspecies: major (ssp. pestis ), Caucasian (ssp. caucasica ), ulegeisk (ssp. ulegeica ), and two novel ones - Central Asian (ssp. central asiatica ) and Angolan (ssp. angola ). Central Asian subspecie comprises evolutionally related strains, earlier classified as altaica and hissarica, as well as the strains from Talas high-mountain focus in Kirghizia and Uzbekistan, and microtus strains from China. Central asiatica is divided into three biovars - altai, hissar, and microtus. Set forward is a serviceable designation for the strains: 0.PE4a - for altai ones, 0.PE4h - for hissar, 0.PE4t - for talas, and 0.PE4m - for microtus, and also for ulegeica subspecie - 0.PE5.

Keywords

• возбудитель чумы
• подвиды
• совершенствование классификации
• plague agent
• subspecies
• updating of classification