RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF FRANCISELLA TULARENSIS COLLECTION STRAINS ISOLATED IN SOUTH SIBERIA (1950 -2015)

Aim. Study taxonomic belonging of collection strains of tularemia causative agent based on proteomic and molecular-genetic methods of identification. Materials and methods. 23 strains of tularemia were used in the study, isolated from Krasnoyarsk region and Altai Republic from 1950 to 2015. FT-agar was used for the cultivation. Spectra for time-of-flight mass-spectrometry were collected using Microflex LT (Bruker Daltonics, Germany) and analyzed compared with previously collected enhanced database of MALDI Biotyper 3.0. PC R with specific primers was carried out with electrophoretic visualization of results in real time. Results. F. tularensis strains isolated from south of western Siberia from 1950 to 2010 were established to belong to subspecies holarctica, and 56.3% of those - erythromycin sensitive (1 biovar Erys), the rest - erythromycin-resistant (II biovar EryR). 7 strains isolated after 2011 by citrulline ureidase activity, cleavage of glycerin and presence of pdpA and pdpD fragments of pathogenicity island (FP1) were determined as Central Asian subspecies. Conclusion. Results of a retrospective study of biological properties of tularensis strains isolated from south Siberia have shown the lack of Central Asian subspecies tularemia causative agent in the collection of Irkutsk Institute for Plague Control before 2011. Detection of this subspecies in Russian Federation gives evidence on the necessity to study and analyze problems of epidemiology, ecology and epizootology of Central Asian subspecies tularemia causative agent as well as determination of borders of its spread