[COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE MLVA25- AND MLVA7-TYPING ACCORDING TO THEIR ABILITY TO ASCERTAIN FOCAL AFFILIATION OF YERSINIA PESTIS STRAINS BY THE EXAMPLE OF ISOLATES FROM THE CENTRAL-CAUCASIAN HIGHLAND NATURAL PLAGUE FOCUS].

Comparative analysis of the MLVA25- and MLVA7-typing ability to evaluate focal belonging of Y. pestis strains by the example of bv. medievalis isolates from the Central-Caucasian highland natural plague focus was carried out. The MLVA25-types of-82 isolates from this area were determined and included into the database containing information on 949 Y. pestis strains from other natural foci of Russia and other countries. Categorical-UPGMA dendrograms were created on the bases of the data concerning all 25 VNTR loci or only seven of them, which were recommended by the experts of the Russian Research Anti-Plague Institute "Microbe" for differentiation of the Y. pestis strains according to their affiliation to specific foci. The obtained data indicated greater possibility of diagnostic mistakes in the case of the MLVA7-typing and supported expediency of division of the Central-Caucasian highland natural plague focus into two sub-foci.