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Abstract
Increased interest in the pathogenic potential of Yersinia pestis has emerged because of
the potential threats from bioterrorism. Pathogenic potential is based on genetic factors
present in a population of microbes, yet most studies evaluating the role of specific genes
in virulence have used a limited number of strains. For Y. pestis this issue is complicated
by the fact that most strains available for study in the Americas are clonally derived and
thus genetically restricted, emanating from a strain of Y. pestis introduced into the United
States in 1902 via marine shipping and subsequent spread of this strain throughout North and
South America. In countries from the former Soviet Union (FSU), Mongolia, and China there are
large areas of enzootic foci of Y. pestis infection containing genetically diverse strains
that have been intensely studied by scientists in these countries. However, the results of
these investigations are not generally known outside of these countries. Here we describe
the variety of methods used in the FSU to classify Y. pestis strains based on genetic and
phenotypic variation and show that there is a high level of diversity in these strains not
reflected by ones obtained from sylvatic areas and patients in the Americas. |
