Phylogeography of Yersinia pestis vole strains isolated from natural foci of the Caucasus and South Caucasus

Comparative analysis of 57 strains of Y. pestis subsp. microtus bv. caucasica was carried out using molecular typing. The results obtained indicate the presence of three independent phylogenetic groups and indicate the advisability of isolation of the Leninakan mountain mesofocus from the Transcaucasian highland focus into an independent focus, as well as inclusion of part of the Pre-Araks low-mountain focus as the mesofocus along with the Pre-Sevan mountain and Zangezur-Karabakh mountain mesofoci into the Transcaucasian highland plague focus. It is shown that the strains circulating in the East Caucasus highland focus of plague are the most ancient branch of the caucasica biovar, and possibly of the entire phylogenetic tree of Y. pestis.