The geographical distribution characteristics of Brucella melitensis in Qinghai Province

Objective Molecular biological methods were used to classify and analyze the isolated Brucella strains, and to understand the geographical distribution characteristics, genetic types and regional distribution characteristics of Brucella in Qinghai Province. Methods Molecular biology typing of species of isolated Brucella strains in Qinghai was studied using Multiple Locus Variable-number tandem repeat Analysis (MLVA) technology. The classification results were described by geographical information system (GIS). Results There were 3 species Brucella melitensis, Brucella abortus, and Brucella suis among the 65 strains of Brucella in Qinghai. Brucella melitensis was the dominant species. The genotypes of MLVA were 42, 43, 47, 28, 36, 112 and 6. The geographical distribution features showed that the 42 belonged to the evolutionary branches of A and B, which was widely distributed. The 43 of the C evolutionary branch and 47 of the E evolution branch were mainly in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. When searching in the Brucella2012 MLVA database, none of the genotypes obtained in this study were identical to those in the database. Conclusions The MLVA genotypes of Brucella are varied in Qinghai Tibet Plateau. They are widely distributed, completely different from those in other areas, and different genetic variations are found in different places. Key words: Brucella; Molecular biology; Geographic information systems