[The population variability of Yersinia pestis in soil samples from the natural focus of plague]

Abstract

Three Y. pestis strains were found to exist in the experimental soil ecosystem at a temperature of 4 degrees - 8 degrees C for a longer period (10 months, the term of observation) than at room temperature (3.5 months). Y. pestis population structure was characterized by relative stability in strains of the subspecies altaica and heterogeneity in the strain of the main subspecies, manifested by the loss of the pgm locus by vegetative cells and the preservation of pgm+ variants in the latent (uncultivable) form (LF). In the populations of all strains uniformity in calcium dependence, the tendency towards a decrease in the synthesis of factor 1, nutritional requirements in amino acids was observed. An important factor of the preservation of Y. pestis in the soil was LF formation. At room temperature this process quickly resulted in the death of the population. At 4 degrees - 8 degrees C A. pestis altaica avirulent strain could be inoculated onto solid nutrient media for a two-fold longer period (for 4 month) than the strain with selective virulence and for 5.5 months longer than Y. pestis pestis highly virulent strain.