C L A S S I F I C A T I O N O F « V A R I E T I E S » O F
PA ST E U R E L L A PE S T IS
S T R A I N S I S O L A T E D I N T H E I N T E R I O R O F T H E S T A T EO F P E R N A M B U C O - B R A Z I L
D a l v a A . M e ll o * a n d L a u r a M . V a s c o n c e l o s * *
Studies were made on the biochemical behavior of 100 strains of
P . p e s tisisolated in Northeastern Brazü w ith regarã to proãuction of nitrous acid,
reduction of nitrates to nitrltes, anã aciáification of glycerol. Results showed
th a t 98 strains can be classified as “orientalis variety”, while th e remaining
two could not be includeã in any of the existing “varieties”.
IN T R O D U C T IO N
I t is k n o w n t h a t p ro d u c tio n o f n itr o u s acid , re d u c tio n o f n i t r a t e s to n itr ite s , a n d a c id ific a tio n of g ly cero l h a s n o d ia g n o s tic v alu e in r e g a r d to id e n tific a tio n o f
Pas-teurélla pestis.
H ow ever, s u c h la b o ra to ry te s ts a r e u s e fu l fo r d if f e r e n tia tio n o f th e s o -c a lle d “g e o g ra p h ic a l r a c e s ” o f th e p la g u e b ac illu s (1 0 ).I n 1928 t h e R u s s ia n in v e s tig a to r, B ez- so n o v a (4) fo r t h e f i r s t tim e c a lle d a t - t e n tio n to t h e b io c h e m ic a l v a r ia b ility of s t r a i n s o f
P. pestis.
S tr a in s is o la te d in ín d i a d id n o t a t t a c k t h e gly cero l, w h ile th o s e is o la te d in s o u th e a s te r n R u s s ia d id s o .F u rth e rm o re , K u r a u c h i (7) a n d B e rlin & B o rze n k o v (3) w e re a b le to d is tin g u is h tw o “r a c e s ” o f
P. pestis;
th e y n a m e d th e s e “c o n tin e n ta l”, w h ic h a c id ifie d t h e glycerol, a n d “o c e a n ic ” w h ic h d id n o t a t t a c k g ly c e ro l.I n 1949 D e v ig n a t (5, 6 ), w h ile s tu d y in g th e ab o v e m e n tio n e d “r a c e s ” w ith r e g a r d
to th e p ro d u c tio n o f n itro u s acid , p ro p o sed a n e w c la s s ific a tio n fo r w h a t h e ca lle d “v a r ie tie s ” o f
P. pestis.
H e reco g n ized th r e e “v a r ie tie s ” : (1) “o rie n ta lis " , w h ich re d u c e d n i t r a t e s b u t d id n o t a t t a c k th e gly cero l; (2) “a n t i q u a ”, w h ic h a tta c k e d t h e g ly cero l a n d re d u c e d n i t r a t e s to n i t r ite s ; a n d (3) “m e d ie v a lis ” , w h ic h p ro d u c - ed ac id in g ly cero l b u t n o t re d u c e d n i t r a te s to n i t r i te s .I n 1941 M ac h ia v ello (7, 8) s tu d ie d 45 s t r a i n s o f
P. pestis
is o la te d in B razil, ali of w h ic h w e re u n a b le to a t t a c k t h e g ly cero l .T h e p r e s e n t s tu d y w as u n d e r ta k e n w ith s p e c ia l i n t e r e s t o f k n o w in g m o re a b o u t th e B ra z ilia n s t r a i n s o f
P. pestis
a n d to r e la te th e m to th e a lre a d y d e sc rib e d “v a rie tie s ” o f th e p la g u e b a c illu s .M AT ER IA L AND M ETH OD S
T h e 100 s tr a in s o f
P. pestis
em ployed in th is s tu d y w e re iso la te d d u rin g epidem ic a n d ep izo o tic o u tb re a k s o f p la g u e o c c urr-* B i o l o g i s t a d o C e n t r o d e P e s q u i s a s A g g e u M a g a l h ã e s ( I . N . E . R u . ) R e c i f e — P e r n a m b u c o e B o l s i s t a d o C e n t r o R e g i o n a l d e I n v e s t i g a ç ã o e E n s i n o e m S a ú d e P ú b l i c a ( S U D E N E - U . F . P e . ) . ** B i o l o g i s t a d o C e n t r o d e P e s q u i s a s A g g e u M a g a l h ã e s ( I . N . E . R u . ) R e c i f e - P e .
2 7 0 R e v . S o c . B r a s . M e d . T r o p . V o l. I I I — N .° 5
in g in t h e in te r io r o f t h e s t a t e o f P e r - n a m b u c o -B ra z il, in t h e y e a r o f 1966 a n d 1967. S ix te e n o f th o s e s t r a i n s w e re is o la t- ed fro m h u m a n s , 59 fro m w ild ro d e n ts , a n d 25 fro m ro d e n t fle a s .
T h e f o l l o w i n g b i o c h e m i c a l te s ts C o n t r o ls w ere e m p l o y e d as (a ) a s t r a i n o f
Sth
a-phylococus aureus
f o r t h e r e d u c t i o n o f n it r a t e s t o n itr ite s ; a n d ( b ) a b l a n k te s t f o r p ro d u c tio n o f j u s t a c i d n itr o u s .T h e p r e p a r a tio n o f t h e c u ltu r e m e d ia a n d re a g e n ts as w ell a s th e c o n d u c tio n o f th e te s ts w ere m a d e in s t r i c t c o n fo rm ity to t h e m e th o d s o f B a lta z a r d e t a l. (2) in a p a p e r p ro d u c e d in 1956.
R ESU LT S
F ro m t h e 100 s tr a in s of
P. pestis
s tu d ie d , 98 w e re c a p a b le o f p ro d u c in g n itr o u s ac id a n d of re d u c in g n i t r a t e s to n i t r i te s .A c co rd in g to th e c la s s ific a tio n o f D evig- n a t (5, 6) t h e 98 s t r a i n s o f P .
pestis
s t u d ie d in th is p a p e r s h o u ld be p la c e d a m o n g t h e “o rie n ta lis v a r ie ty ” w h ile t h e re m a in - in g tw o s t r a i n s co u ld n o t b e in c lu d e d in a n y o f t h e o th e rs “v a r ie tie s ” .T h e C o n t r o l s b e h a v e d a s e x p e c te d .
D IS C U SSIO N
R e s u lts p re s e n te d in t h e c u r r e n t p a p e r sh o w t h a t 98 s t r a i n s o f P .
pestis
is o la te d in N o r th e a s te r n B ra z il b e lo n g to th e “o rie n ta lis v a r ie ty ” a c c o rd in g to t h e c la s s ific a tio n o f D e v ig a n t (5, 6) o r to th e “o c e a n ic r a c e ” o f K u r a u c h i (7 ), B e rlin & B o rzen k o w (3) a n d P o llitz e r (9) .I n view o f t h e u n ifo rm b io c h e m ic a l p a t - te r n p re s e n te d by g r e a t m a jo r ity o f t h e s tr a in s , t h e re m a in in g tw o s t r a i n s m ig h t r e p r e s e n t m u t a n t s w h ic h b e c a m e u n a b le to re d u c e n i t r a t e s a n d to p ro d u c e n itro u s a c id .
T h e m a jo r ity o f s p e c ia lis ts a g re e (w ith - o u t a n y re a s o n a b le e x p la n a tio n s ) t h a t th e s t r a i n s o f P .
pestis
w h ic h h a v e b e e n i n - tro d u c e d in v irg in c o u n trie s b y s e a ro u te b elo n g to t h e “o r ie n ta lis v a r ie ty ” o r “o c e a n ic r a c e ” .I t is k n o w n t h a t P la g u e w a s in tro d u c e d i n B ra z il by s e a r o u te v ia t h e p o r t o f S a n to s in 1899, five y e a rs a f te r th e p a n - d em ic o c c u rre d in H o n g -K o n g ( 1 ) .
R e s u lts o b ta in e d in th is p a p e r a s w ell a s th o s e o f M ac h ia v e llo (7 ,8) give a d d it- io n a l s t r e n g t h to t h e id e a t h e s t r a i n s i n tro d u c e d by s e a ro u te b elo n g to t h e “o ri e n ta lis v a r ie ty ”.
RESU M O
Os autores estudaram o com portam ento bioquímico de
100amostras de
P . p e s tis
isoladas no Nordeste do Brasil em relação ao glicerol, produção de
ácido nitroso, e redução de nitratos a nitritos. Encontraram
98%das amos
tras pertencendo à “variedade orientalis” e
2%não enquadradas em nenhum a
classificação ãas chamadas “variedades geográficas” de
P . p e s tis .R E FE R E N C E S
1. ARCOVERDE, C .F . — N o tíc ia sô b re
a p e ste n o N o rd e ste . R ev . B ra s . M al. e D o en . T ro p . 9: 123-133, 1957.
2. BALTAZARD, M ., DAVID, D .M .S .,
D EVIGNA T, R ., G IR A R D , G., G O H A R M .A ., KARTM AN, L ., M EYER, K . F . ,
PA R K ER , M .T ., P O L L IT Z E R , R .
PR IN C E , F .M ., QUAN, S . F . , W AGLE, P. — R e c o m e n d e d la b o ra to ry M eth o d s fo r D iag n o sis of P la g u e . B u li. W ld . H lth . O rg . 14: 457-509. 1965.
3. B ER LIN , A .L . & BO RSEN KO V, A.K.,
(1938) in PO L L IT Z E R , R . — P la g u e
W orld H e a lth O rg a n iz a tio n , M onog- r a p h S erie N.° 22. — P a la is d es N a- tio n s — G en ev e, 1954.
4. BEZSONOVA, A. (1928) in P O L L IT -
E R R . — P la g u e “ W o rld H e a lth O r g a n iz a tio n . M o n o g ra p h S eries N.° 22. P a la is d es N a tio n s . G en ev e, 1954.
S e t .- O u t . , 1 9 6 9 R e v . S o c . B r a s . M e d . T r o p . 2 7 1
6. DEV IG NA T, R . e t B O IV IN , A . —
D eu x m illie u x co m p lex es p o u r la d if- f e r e n tia tio n d es tro is v a r iè te s de
Pasteurella pestis
e t d ePasteurella
pseuâotuberculosis
. B u li. S oc. P a t h . E x o t. 46: 627-631, 1953.7. K U R A U CH I, K . (1937) in P O L L IT -
ZER, R . — P la g u e W o rld H e a lth O r- g a n iz a tio n M o n o g ra p h S eries. N.° 22. P a la is d es N a tio n s . G e n ev e 1954.
8. M ACHIAVELLO, A. — E s tú d io so b re
v a r ia c ió n b a c te r ia n a de la
Pasteurella
pestis
co m e s p e c ia l re fe re n c ia a v a - ria c io n e s e n m o rfo lo g ia , c a ra c te re s de la s co lo n ias, v iru lê n c ia , to x ic id a d yp ro p rie d a d e b io q u ím icas. Arq. Hig. 11: 73-102, 1941.
9. M ACHIAVELLO, A. — B acte rio lo g ia
g e n e ra l d e la p e s te b u b ô n ic a o b ser v a d a e n el N o rd e ste b ra s ile n o . A rq. H ig . 11: 53-65, 1941.
10. PO L L IT Z E R , R . — C la ssific a tio n de l a p e s te p a r d es m e th o d e s b io ch im i- q u e s. É t a t d es c o n n a is s a n c e s e t o rie n - ta t i o n d es re c h e rc h e s f u tu r e s . B u li. W ld . H th . O rg . 9, 655-662, 1953.
11. PO L L IT Z E R , R . — P la g u e. W orld
