A Comparative Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Analysis of Helicobacter pylori Isolates from Southern Russia

High genetic diversity and rapid microevolution are a peculiarity of genomes Helicobacter pylori, a phenomenon that is proposed to play a functional role in persistence and colonisation of diverse human populations. Isolates of H. pylori can be classified phylogeographically. To characterise diverse strains of this pathogen in different human populations, we compare MLVA genotypes of 48 H. pylori strains isolated from different regions in the South of Russia. Cluster analysis identified 48 individual MLVA types (MTs) and revealed the possible belonging the greatest part of the strains to hpEurope, and two strains to hpEastAsia population, when compared to the 4 publically available genomes. MLVA typing is a faster and more standardized method for studying the genetic relatedness and is available for every standard PCR laboratory. The proposed method may be successfully used in molecular epidemiology and possibly for population identification of H. pylori. A similar study was conducted in Russia and Europe for the first time.