title: Genetic diversity of Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis in Kazakhstan using MLVA-16.
abstract: Brucellosis is an endemic disease in Central Asia characterized by high infection rates in humans and animals. Currently, little is known about the genetic diversity of Brucella spp. circulating in the region, despite the high prevalence of brucellosis. This study aimed to analyze the genetic diversity of Brucella melitensis and Brucella abortus strains circulating in the Republic of Kazakhstan. We genotyped 128 B. melitensis and 124 B. abortus strains collected in regions with the highest prevalence of brucellosis. Genotyping was performed using multi-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA). Analysis of a subset of 8 loci (MLVA-8) of 128 B. melitensis strains identified genotypes 42 (n=108), 43 (n=2), and 63 (n=19) related to the 'East Mediterranean' group. An MLVA-16 assay sorted 128 B. melitensis strains into 25 different genotypes. Excluding one variable locus, MLVA-15 of B. melitensis was distinct from strains originating in the Mediterranean region; however, 77% of them were identical to strains isolated in China. A minimum spanning tree for B. melitensis using MLVA-15 analysis clustered the local strains together with strains previously collected in China. MLVA-8 analysis of 124 B. abortus strains identified them as genotype 36, suggesting Eurasian distribution of this lineage. Complete MLVA-16 assay analysis clustered the strains into five genotypes, revealing little diversity of B. abortus when compared on the global scale. A minimum spanning tree for B. abortus obtained using MLVA-15 analysis clustered the 2 most prevalent genotypes (n=117) together with strains previously collected in China. Thus, MLVA analysis was used to characterize 252 strains of Brucella collected in Kazakhstan. The analysis revealed genetic homogeneity among the strains. Interestingly, identical MLVA-15 profiles were found in seemingly unrelated outbreaks in China, Turkey, and Kazakhstan. Further analysis is needed for better understanding of the epidemiology of brucellosis in Asia.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology, 13/1 Valikhanov Str, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan. Electronic address: ncbshevtsov@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alexandr
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shevtsov
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology, 13/1 Valikhanov Str, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan; School of Science and Technology, Nazarbayev University, 53 Kabanbay Batyr Ave, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan. Electronic address: ramanculov@biocenter.kz.
authors.forename: Erlan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramanculov
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology, 13/1 Valikhanov Str, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shevtsova
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology, 13/1 Valikhanov Str, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kairzhanova
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology, 13/1 Valikhanov Str, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan. Electronic address: pavel.tarlykov@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tarlykov
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology, 13/1 Valikhanov Str, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan; Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, 8 Lavrentev Str, 630000 Novosibirsk, Russian Federation; Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogov Str, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russian Federation. Electronic address: mlfilipenko@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maxim
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Filipenko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, 8 Lavrentev Str, 630000 Novosibirsk, Russian Federation; Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogov Str, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russian Federation.
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dymova
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology, 13/1 Valikhanov Str, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Gulzada
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Abisheva
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Veterinary, 22/3 150-let Abaya, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Aygul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jailbekova
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology, 13/1 Valikhanov Str, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Dinara
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kamalova
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Veterinary, 22/3 150-let Abaya, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chsherbakov
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Veterinary, 22/3 150-let Abaya, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Samat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tulegenov
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Veterinary, 22/3 150-let Abaya, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Assel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akhmetova
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Veterinary, 22/3 150-let Abaya, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan. Electronic address: gu.nzmr@mail.ru.
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sytnik
authors.affiliation: National Reference Center for Veterinary, 22/3 150-let Abaya, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan.
authors.forename: Talgat
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karibaev
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology, 13/1 Valikhanov Str, 010000 Astana, Kazakhstan. Electronic address: mukanov@biocenter.kz.
authors.forename: Kasim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mukanov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000235:genetics*; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000235:genetics*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006041:Goats; D006801:Humans; D007623:Kazakhstan / Q000453:epidemiology; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D034561:Sheep, Domestic
keywords: Brucella abortus; Brucella melitensis; Genotyping; Kazakhstan; Multi-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA)