Typing of Yersinia pestis isolates from the state of Ceará, Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether modifications in Yersinia pestis isolates from three plague foci from the state of Ceará, Brazil, had occurred over the years as a consequence of genetic adaptation to the environment.


RESULTS
The isolates were studied with respect to susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs, plasmid and protein profiling, pigmentation on Congo red-agar plates, and the presence of some pathogenicity genes using PCR. Most of the expected virulence markers were detected in the cultures examined. There was no evidence of any alteration that could be associated with their origin (patients, rodents and fleas) or period of isolation (1971-1997).


CONCLUSIONS
Phenotypic or genotypic changes were not detected in the cultures examined. However, the results obtained will serve as a reference to follow the evolution of Y. pestis in these foci.
Cavalcanti
Y V N
YV
Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, and Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães - FIOCRUZ, Recife (PE), Brazil.
Leal
N C
NC
De Almeida
A M P
AM
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001938:Brazil; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000378:metabolism; D010930:Plague / Q000382:microbiology*; D010957:Plasmids; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012377:Rodentia / Q000382:microbiology; D005423:Siphonaptera / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics; D015010:Yersinia pestis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010860:Pigments, Biological