The cytolytic effects of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium on chicken heterophils

Mixing of chicken heterophils and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium resulted in a rapid disappearance of heterophils when examined by scanning electron microscopy and trypan blue dye exclusion test. This disappearance appeared to be caused by a rapid degranulation of heterophils.

Differences in growth of Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7 on alfalfa sprouts

Sprout producers have recently been faced with several Salmonella enterica and Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreaks. Many of the outbreaks have been traced to sprout seeds contaminated with low levels of human pathogens. Alfalfa seeds were inoculated with S. enterica and E. coli O157:H7 strains isolated from alfalfa seeds or other environmental sources and sprouted to examine growth of these human pathogens in association with sprouting seeds. S. enterica strains grew an average of 3.7 log(10) on sprouting seeds over 2 days, while E. coli O157:H7 strains grew significantly less, an average of 2.3 log(10). The initial S. enterica or E. coli O157:H7 inoculum dose and seed-sprouting temperature significantly affected the levels of both S. enterica and E. coli O157:H7 on the sprouts and in the irrigation water, while the frequency of irrigation water replacement affected only the levels of E. coli O157:H7. Colonization of sprouting alfalfa seeds by S. enterica serovar Newport and E. coli O157:H7 strains transformed with a plasmid encoding the green fluorescent protein was examined with fluorescence microscopy. Salmonella serovar Newport colonized both seed coats and sprout roots as aggregates, while E. coli O157:H7 colonized only sprout roots.

Trafficking of the Salmonella vacuole in macrophages

Salmonella enterica is a facultative intracellular pathogen which can replicate in macrophages. Intracellular Salmonella exist in a membrane-bound compartment called the Salmonella-containing vacuole. Most studies on Salmonella trafficking in relation to the endocytic pathway have concluded that the majority of Salmonella-containing vacuoles do not interact extensively with late endosomes and lysosomes. Numerous bacterial genes have been identified which are required for survival and replication in macrophages. These include the spv operon, located on the large virulence plasmid, the phoP-phoQ regulon, and those connected with the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 type III secretion system. The functions of some of these genes are beginning to be understood. In this review, I discuss their roles in relation to our broader understanding of Salmonella trafficking in macrophages.

Quantitative comparison of intestinal invasion of zoonotic serotypes of Salmonella enterica in poultry

The aim of the present study was to compare the invasion of selected zoonotic Salmonella serotypes of poultry in an in vivo chicken intestinal loop model and also in vitro in epithelial cell cultures. Invasion was measured relative to a reference strain, Salmonella Typhimurium 4/74 invH201::TnphoA. Two serotypes demonstrated intracellular log(10) counts that differed significantly from all other serotypes tested: Salmonella Enteritidis PT4 being 1.5 log(10) colony forming units (CFU) (31-fold) higher, and Salmonella Tennessee being 0.7 log(10) CFU (fivefold) lower than the reference strain (P < or = 0.0001). A group of serotypes, which can be vertically transmitted, showed significantly higher intracellular counts (fourfold to eightfold) than the reference strain. The group included S. Typhimurium 4/74, S. Typhimurium DT104 (poultry and porcine isolates), S. Enteritidis PT1, S. Enteritidis PT6, S. Enteritidis PT8, and Salmonella Berta. The serotypes Salmonella Hadar, Salmonella Virchow, S. 4,12:b:-, S. Typhimurium DT41, and Salmonella Infantis, most of which are considered horizontally transmitted, did not show significantly different intracellular counts from the reference strain. Results from the cell culture invasion studies agreed with the in vivo data, with the exception of S. Berta and the poultry isolate of S. Typhimurium DT104.

Modeling of 5' nuclease real-time responses for optimization of a high-throughput enrichment PCR procedure for Salmonella enterica

The performance of a 5' nuclease real-time PCR assay was studied to optimize an automated method of detection of preenriched Salmonella enterica cells in buffered peptone water (BPW). The concentrations and interactions of the PCR reagents were evaluated on the basis of two detection responses, the threshold cycle (C(T)) and the fluorescence intensity by a normalized reporter value (DeltaR(n)). The C(T) response was identified as the most suitable for detection modeling to describe the PCR performances of different samples. DNA extracted from S. enterica serovar Enteritidis was studied in double-distilled H2O (ddH2O) and in two different enrichment media (brain heart infusion and BPW) with two PCR mixtures based on AmpliTaq Gold or rTTH: A descriptive model was proposed and fitted to the available experimental data. Equivalent PCR performances for the two PCR mixtures were obtained when DNA was diluted in ddH2O. However, the level of detection of DNA was affected when BPW was present during amplification. Use of the rTth mixture generated a 1-log-unit wider linear range of amplification, and the DNA detection levels were 2 x 10(-13) g/microwell for the rTth mixture and 2 x 10(-12) g/microwell for the AmpliTaq Gold mixture. To verify the improved amplification capacity of the rTth mixture, BPW was inoculated with 1 CFU of S. enterica serovar Enteritidis per ml and the mixture was incubated at 30 degrees C. Samples for PCR were withdrawn every 4 h during a 36-h enrichment. Use of the rTth mixture resulted in an earlier PCR detection during enrichment than use of the AmpliTaq Gold mixture. For accurate detection (C(T) < or = 30) of S. enterica serovar Enteritidis inoculated in BPW, the rTth mixture required 8.4 h of enrichment, while the AmpliTaq Gold mixture needed 11.6 h. In conclusion, the principle applied can improve the methodology of 5' nuclease real-time PCR for numerical optimization of sample pretreatment strategies to provide automated diagnostic PCR procedures.

Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum requires the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 type III secretion system but not the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 type III secretion system for virulence in chickens

Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum is a host-specific serotype that causes the severe systemic disease fowl typhoid in domestic poultry and a narrow range of other avian species but rarely causes disease in mammalian hosts. Specificity of the disease is primarily at the level of the reticuloendothelial system, but few virulence factors have been described other than the requirement for an 85-kb virulence plasmid. In this work, by making functional mutations in the type III secretion systems (TTSS) encoded by Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) and SPI-2, we investigated the role of these pathogenicity islands in interactions between Salmonella serovar Gallinarum and avian cells in vitro and the role of these pathogenicity islands in virulence in chickens. The SPI-1 mutant showed decreased invasiveness into avian cells in vitro but was unaffected in its ability to persist within chicken macrophages. In contrast the SPI-2 mutant was fully invasive in nonphagocytic cells but failed to persist in macrophages. In chicken infections the SPI-2 mutant was attenuated while the SPI-1 mutant showed full virulence. In oral infections the SPI-2 mutant was not observed in the spleen or liver, and following intravenous inoculation it was cleared rapidly from these sites. SPI-2 function is required by Salmonella serovar Gallinarum for virulence, primarily through promoting survival within macrophages allowing multiplication within the reticuloendothelial system, but this does not preclude the involvement of SPI-2 in uptake from the gut to the spleen and liver. SPI-1 appears to have little effect on virulence and survival of Salmonella serovar Gallinarum in the host.

Acquisition of virulence-associated factors by the enteric pathogens Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica

In this review we summarize recent genomic studies that shed light on the mechanism through which pathogenic Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica have evolved. We show how acquisition of DNA at specific sites on the chromosome has contributed to increased genetic variation and virulence of these two genera of the Enterobacteriaceae.

Role of the ftsA1p promoter in the resistance of mucoid mutants of Salmonella enterica to mecillinam: characterization of a new type of mucoid mutant

Mucoid mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium isolated by resistance to mecillinam include lon (27%) and rcsC (8%) mutants but the most frequent class (65%) is affected in a new gene (mucM) located at centisome 76. mucM cells are shorter than mucM+ cells and rcsB mutations normalize size and response to mecillinam. Expression of ftsA1p, the ftsA-ftsZ promoter submitted to RcsB stimulation, is greatly increased in mucM mutants, and this expression is dependent on RcsB and ftsA1p. It is proposed that the mucM product interferes with RcsB activation. Mucoidy results from the activation of cps genes and mecillinam resistance from ftsA-ftsZ overexpression, both traits caused by the increased activity of the RcsB effector. The same mechanism seems to be responsible for the resistance of mucoid rcsC mutants to mecillinam but the resistance of lon mutants is not dependent on RcsB and so responds to a different cause.

Virulence in the chick model and stress tolerance of Salmonella enterica serovar Orion var. 15+

Three Salmonella enterica serovar Orion var. 15+ isolates of distinct provenance were tested for survival in various stress assays. All were less able to survive desiccation than a virulent S. Enteritidis strain, with levels of survival similar to a rpoS mutant of the S. Enteritidis strain, whereas one isolate (F3720) was significantly more acid tolerant. The S. Orion var. 15+ isolates were motile by flagellae and elaborated type-1 and curli-like fimbriae; surface organelles that are considered virulence determinants in Salmonella pathogenesis. Each adhered and invaded HEp-2 tissue culture cells with similar proficiency to the S. Enteritidis control but were significantly less virulent than S. Enteritidis in the one-day-old and seven-day-old chick model. Given an oral dose of 1 x 10(3) cfu to one-day-old chicken, S. Orion var. 15+ isolates colonised 25% of liver and spleens examined at 24 h whereas S. Enteritidis colonised 100% of organs by the same with the same dose. Given an oral dose of 1 x 10(7) cfu at seven-day old, S. Orion var. 15+ failed to colonise livers and spleens in any bird examined at 24 h whereas S. Enteritidis colonised 50% of organs by the same with the same dose. Based on the number of internal organs colonised, one of the three S. Orion var. 15+ isolates tested (strain F3720) was significantly more invasive than the other two (B1 and B7). Also, strain F3720 was shed less than either B1 or B7 supporting the concept that there may be an inverse relationship between the ability to colonise deep tissues and to persist in the gut. These data are discussed in the light that S. Orion var. 15+ is associated with sporadic outbreaks of human infection rather than epidemics.

Virulent strains of Salmonella enteritidis disrupt the epithelial barrier of Caco-2 and HEp-2 cells

To confirm the existence in nature of Salmonella enteritidis strains of different degrees of virulence and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the effects of such strains on the epithelial barrier function, the consequences of infection of Caco-2 cells and HEp-2 cells with 15 S. enteritidis strains in a chicken infection model were examined. The more virulent strains of S. enteritidis, which are biofilm producers in adherence test medium, were able to disrupt HEp-2 and Caco-2 monolayers, as shown by transmonolayer electrical resistance and lactate dehydrogenase activity. In contrast, the low-virulence strains of S. enteritidis, which do not produce biofilms in adherence test medium, had no effect on the same cells. An avirulent rough mutant of Salmonella minnesota exhibited a pattern of behaviour similar to that of the low virulence strains of S. enteritidis, whilst a clinical Salmonella typhi strain caused rapid injury to the monolayers. The effect of supernatants of Salmonella cultures in adherence test medium on the integrity of Caco-2 cell monolayers indicated that the high-virulence S. enteritidis strains, but not the low-virulence strains, release a soluble factor when incubated under optimum biofilm-forming conditions, which enables the disruption of the integrity of Caco-2 monolayers.

Evolutionary adaptation to temperature. VIII. Effects of temperature on growth rate in natural isolates of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica from different thermal environments

Are enteric bacteria specifically adapted to the thermal environment of their hosts? In particular, do the optimal temperatures and thermal niches of the bacterial flora reflect seasonal, geographic, or phylogenetic differences in their hosts' temperatures? We examined these questions by measuring the relationship between the temperature-dependent growth rates of enteric bacteria in a free-living ectothermic host. We sampled two species of enteric bacteria (Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica) from three natural populations of slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) seasonally over two years. Despite pronounced differences in turtle body temperatures at different seasons and in different locations, we found no evidence that the thermal growth profiles of these bacteria mirrored this variation. Optimal temperatures and maximal growth rates in rich medium were nearly the same for both bacterial species (35-36 degrees C, 2.5 doublings per hour). The thermal niche (defined as the range of temperatures over which 75% of maximal growth rate occurred) was slightly higher for E. coli (28.5-41.0 degrees C) than for S. enterica (27.7-39.8 degrees C), but the niche breadth was about the same for both. We also measured the thermal dependence of growth rate in these same bacterial species isolated from mammalian hosts. Both bacterial species had temperatures of maximal growth and thermal niches that were about 2 degrees C higher than those of their respective conspecifics sampled from turtles; niche breadths were not different. These data suggest that these bacterial species are thermal generalists that do not track fine-scale changes in their thermal environments. Even major differences in body temperatures, as great as those between ectothermic and endothermic hosts, may result in the evolution of rather modest changes in thermal properties.

Biological cost of AmpC production for Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium

Chromosomally mediated AmpC-type beta-lactamases are frequently found among Enterobacteriaceae. Hyperproduction of AmpC beta-lactamase results in high-level resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. One striking feature of Salmonella is the absence of the structural ampC gene, encoding AmpC beta-lactamase, in contrast with other members in the Enterobacteriaceae family, such as Escherichia, Citrobacter, or Enterobacter. The horizontal acquisition of ampC genes is one of the causes of the increased resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins and beta-lactamase inhibitors among gram-negative rods. Nevertheless, despite the high number of beta-lactam-resistant Salmonella isolates so far described, only two strains expressing resistance to cephalosporin and beta-lactamase inhibitors which is mediated by AmpC-type enzymes have been found. In this work, data are provided which support the possibility that the maintenance and expression of the ampC gene may represent an unbearable cost for Salmonella in terms of reduction of some of its lifestyle attributes, such as growth rate and invasiveness. The deleterious AmpC burden can be eliminated by decreasing the production of AmpC when both the regulatory gene, ampR, and ampC are present in Salmonella. Thus, it is suggested that the two genes have to be acquired together by Salmonella, leading to an inducible beta-lactam resistance phenotype. AmpC synthesis did not produce major variations in the peptidoglycan composition of Salmonella.

Biophysical characterization of SipA, an actin-binding protein from Salmonella enterica

An essential step in the pathogenesis of Salmonella enterica infections is bacterial entry into non-phagocytic cells of the intestinal epithelium. Proteins injected by Salmonella into host cells stimulate cellular responses that lead to extensive actin cytoskeleton reorganization and subsequent bacterial uptake. One of these proteins, SipA, modulates actin dynamics by directly binding to F-actin. We have biophysically characterized a C-terminal fragment, SipA(446-684), which has previously been shown to retain activity. Our results show that SipA(446-684) exhibits an elongated shape with a predominantly helical conformation and predict the existence of a coiled-coil domain. We suggest that the protein is able to span two adjacent actin monomers in a filament and propose a model that is consistent with the observed effects of SipA(446-684) on actin dynamics and F-actin stability and morphology.

The shdA gene is restricted to serotypes of Salmonella enterica subspecies I and contributes to efficient and prolonged fecal shedding

Little is known about factors which enable Salmonella serotypes to circulate within populations of livestock and domestic fowl. We have identified a DNA region which is present in Salmonella serotypes commonly isolated from livestock and domestic fowl (S. enterica subspecies I) but absent from reptile-associated Salmonella serotypes (S. bongori and S. enterica subspecies II to VII). This DNA region was cloned from Salmonella serotype Typhimurium and sequence analysis revealed the presence of a 6,105-bp open reading frame, designated shdA, whose product's deduced amino acid sequence displayed homology to that of AIDA-I from diarrheagenic Escherichia coli, MisL of serotype Typhimurium, and IcsA of Shigella flexneri. The shdA gene was located adjacent to xseA at 52 min, in a 30-kb DNA region which is not present in Escherichia coli K-12. A serotype Typhimurium shdA mutant was shed with the feces in reduced numbers and for a shorter period of time compared to its isogenic parent. A possible role for the shdA gene during the expansion in host range of S. enterica subspecies I to include warm-blooded vertebrates is discussed.

Lactic acid permeabilizes gram-negative bacteria by disrupting the outer membrane

The effect of lactic acid on the outer membrane permeability of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium was studied utilizing a fluorescent-probe uptake assay and sensitization to bacteriolysis. For control purposes, similar assays were performed with EDTA (a permeabilizer acting by chelation) and with hydrochloric acid, the latter at pH values corresponding to those yielded by lactic acid, and also in the presence of KCN. Already 5 mM (pH 4.0) lactic acid caused prominent permeabilization in each species, the effect in the fluorescence assay being stronger than that of EDTA or HCl. Similar results were obtained in the presence of KCN, except for P. aeruginosa, for which an increase in the effect of HCl was observed in the presence of KCN. The permeabilization by lactic and hydrochloric acid was partly abolished by MgCl(2). Lactic acid sensitized E. coli and serovar Typhimurium to the lytic action of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) more efficiently than did HCl, whereas both acids sensitized P. aeruginosa to SDS and to Triton X-100. P. aeruginosa was effectively sensitized to lysozyme by lactic acid and by HCl. Considerable proportions of lipopolysaccharide were liberated from serovar Typhimurium by these acids; analysis of liberated material by electrophoresis and by fatty acid analysis showed that lactic acid was more active than EDTA or HCl in liberating lipopolysaccharide from the outer membrane. Thus, lactic acid, in addition to its antimicrobial property due to the lowering of the pH, also functions as a permeabilizer of the gram-negative bacterial outer membrane and may act as a potentiator of the effects of other antimicrobial substances.

A parallel intraphagosomal survival strategy shared by mycobacterium tuberculosis and Salmonella enterica

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Salmonella enterica cause very different diseases and are only distantly related. However, growth within macrophages is crucial for virulence in both of these intracellular pathogens. Here, we demonstrate that in spite of the phylogenetic distance, M. tuberculosis and Salmonella employ a parallel survival strategy for growth within macrophage phagosomes. Previous studies established that the Salmonella mgtC gene is required for growth within macrophages and for virulence in vivo. M. tuberculosis contains an open reading frame exhibiting 38% amino acid identity with the Salmonella MgtC protein. Upon inactivation of mgtC, the resulting M. tuberculosis mutant was attenuated for virulence in cultured human macrophages and impaired for growth in the lungs and spleens of mice. Replication of the mgtC mutant was inhibited in vitro by a combination of low magnesium and mildly acidic pH suggesting that the M. tuberculosis-containing phagosome has these characteristics. The similar phenotypes displayed by the mgtC mutants of M. tuberculosis and Salmonella suggest that the ability to acquire magnesium is essential for virulence in intracellular pathogens that proliferate within macrophage phagosomes.

Molecular basis for structural diversity in the core regions of the lipopolysaccharides of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica

Bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are unique and complex glycolipids that provide characteristic components of the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. In LPS of the Enterobacteriaceae, the core oligosaccharide links a highly conserved lipid A to the antigenic O-polysaccharide. Structural diversity in the core oligosaccharide is limited by the constraints imposed by its essential role in outer membrane stability and provides a contrast to the hypervariable O-antigen. The genetics of core oligosaccharide biosynthesis in Salmonella and Escherichia coli K-12 have served as prototypes for studies on the LPS and lipo-oligosaccharides from a growing range of bacteria. However, despite the wealth of knowledge, there remains a number of unanswered questions, and direct experimental data are not yet available to define the precise mechanism of action of many gene products. Here we present a comparative analysis of the recently completed sequences of the major core oligosaccharide biosynthesis gene clusters from the five known core types in E. coli and the Ra core type of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and discuss advances in the understanding of the related biosynthetic pathways. Differences in these clusters reflect important structural variations in the outer core oligosaccharides and provide a basis for ascribing functions to the genes in these model clusters, whereas highly conserved regions within these clusters suggest a critical and unalterable function for the inner region of the core.