Evidence of Extensive Circulation of <i>Yersinia enterocolitica</i> in Rodents and Shrews in Natural Habitats from Retrospective and Perspective Studies in South Caucasus
Tata Imnadze,
Lile Malania,
Neli Chakvetadze,
Irma Burjanadze,
Natalia Abazashvili,
Ekaterine Zhgenti,
Ketevan Sidamonidze,
Ekaterine Khmaladze,
Vakhtang Martashvili,
Nikoloz Tsertsvadze,
Paata Imnadze,
Andrei Kandaurov,
Ryan J. Arner,
Vladimir Motin,
Michael Kosoy
Affiliations
Tata Imnadze
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Lile Malania
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Neli Chakvetadze
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Irma Burjanadze
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Natalia Abazashvili
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Ekaterine Zhgenti
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Ketevan Sidamonidze
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Ekaterine Khmaladze
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Vakhtang Martashvili
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Nikoloz Tsertsvadze
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Paata Imnadze
National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, 0186 Tbilisi, Georgia
Andrei Kandaurov
Institute of Zoology, Ilia State University, 0177 Tbilisi, Georgia
Ryan J. Arner
Ryan Arner Science Consulting LLC, Freeport, PA 16229, USA
Vladimir Motin
Department of Pathology, University Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
Yersinia enterocolitica culture-positive rodents and shrews were reported in different territories across Georgia during 14 of 17 years of investigations conducted for the period of 1981–1997. In total, Y. enterocolitica was isolated from 2052 rodents (15 species) and 33 shrews. Most isolates were obtained from Microtus arvalis, Rattus norvegicus, Mus musculus, and Apodemus spp. During the prospective study (2017−2019), isolates of Yersinia-like bacteria were cultured from 53 rodents collected in four parts of Georgia. All the Yersinia-like isolates were confirmed as Y. enterocolitica based on the API 20E and the BD Phenix50 tests. Whole-genome (WG) sequencing of five rodents and one shrew strain of Y. enterocolitica revealed that they possessed a set of virulence genes characteristic of the potentially pathogenic strains of biogroup 1A. All isolates lacked distinguished virulence determinants for YstA, Ail, TccC, VirF, and virulence plasmid pYV but carried the genes for YstB, YmoA, HemPR-HmuVSTU, YaxAB, PhlA, PldA, ArsCBR, and a flagellar apparatus. One strain contained a gene highly homologous to heat-labile enterotoxin, a chain of E. coli, a function not previously described for Y. enterocolitica. The WG single-nucleotide polymorphism-based typing placed the isolates in four distinct phylogenetic clusters.
