Identification of Natural Mutations Responsible for Altered Infection Phenotypes of Salmonella enterica Clinical Isolates by Using Cell Line Infection Screens

Abstract

Salmonella is a foodborne pathogen affecting over 200 million people and resulting in over 200,000 fatal cases per year. Its adhesion to and invasion into intestinal epithelial cells represent one of the first and key steps in the pathogenesis of salmonellosis. Still, around 35 to 40% of bacterial genes have no experimentally validated function, and their contribution to bacterial virulence, including adhesion and invasion, remains largely unknown. Therefore, the significance of this study is in the identification of new genes or gene allelic variants previously not associated with adhesion and invasion. It is well established that blocking adhesion and/or invasion would stop or hamper bacterial infection; therefore, the new findings from this study could be used in future developments of anti- Salmonella therapy targeting genes involved in these key processes. Such treatment could be a valuable alternative, as the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is increasing very rapidly.