Objective was to assess the effect of specific bacteriophages and gentamycine on the morphological-functional properties of bacteria in the vaccine strain Yersinia pestis EV.Materials and methods. The vaccine strain Y. pestis EV, Pokrovskaya bacteriophage and the pseudotuberculous diagnostic bacteriophage were used for the study. The microbial culture was grown on solid and in liquid growth media at 27 °C for 20–24 h. The co-incubation of bacteria and bacteriophage or gentamycine was carried out at 27 °C for 20 minutes or at 37 °C for 2 hours, respectively. Culture preparations were examined by transmission electron microscopy.Results and discussion. The influence of cultivation conditions and various stress factors on the vesicle production by the vaccine strain Y. pestis EV cells was evaluated. The nature and intensity of morphological-functional changes in Y. pestis EV cells in response to the effect of bacteriophages (plague Pokrovskaya and pseudotuberculous bacteriophages) or an antibiotic (gentamycine) were determined. It was established that co-incubation of Y. pestis EV with Pokrovskaya bacteriophage or gentamycine for 20 min leads to the increase in the production of extracellular vesicles and is accompanied by the development of degenerative changes in bacterial cells.

Incubation of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis cells grown on a solid medium with pseudotuberculous diagnostic bacteriophage for 20 min at 37oC led to a significant decrease in the concentration of both components of the system. This effect was absent when the bacteria were grown in a fluid medium. At the same time, this incubation regimen promoted vesicle formation and typical morphological changes in bacteria grown in both surface and suspension cultures. Co-incubation of the bacteriophage with suspension of vesicles isolated from the suspension culture of Y. pseudotuberculosis grown at 10oC (but not 37oC) led to a decrease in plaque-forming activity of the bacteriophage.