Growth and genetic responses of Salmonella Typhimurium to pH-shifts in an anaerobic continuous culture

Salmonella infection of chickens that leads to potential human foodborne salmonellosis continues to be a concern. Changes in the pH of poultry gastrointestinal tract could influence Salmonella growth and virulence response. In the current study, growth responses of a chicken isolate Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) to three incremental pH-shifts (6.17-7.35) in continuous cultures (CC) were evaluated. The expression of rpoS and hilA was determined by real time-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) as well. Increases in pH resulted in higher cell protein concentrations, glucose disappearance, and glucose and ATP yields. Although with some inconsistency between the two trials, the data indicated that the ammonia release into media was favored by low pH. The pH shifts did not significantly affect acetate biosynthesis. No consistent trends of pH influence on propionate and butyrate production could be detected. In all three pH shifts, relative expression of hilA was dominant at 0h which represented CC steady state. In pH shift 7.35-6.86 (Trial 1), the relative expression of rpoS at time 0 and 1h were over five-fold higher than after 3 and 6h of growth. Overall, the results suggest that ST physiology is altered by changes in pH, which could be determinant factors for ST survival in the poultry gastrointestinal ecosystems.     

Detection of hilA gene sequences in serovars of Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica

hilA gene promoter, component of the Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1, has been found in Salmonella serovar Typhimurium, being important for the regulation of type III secretion apparatus genes. We detected hilA gene sequences in Salmonella serovars Typhi, Enteritidis, Choleraesuis, Paratyphi A and B, and Pullorum, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and hybridization techniques. The primers to carry out PCR were designed according to hilA sequence. A low stringency hybridization with the probe pVV441 (hilA open-reading-frame plasmid) was carried out. To find hilA gene sequences in other Salmonella sp. suggest that these serovars could have similar sequences of this kind of virulence genes.     

Fur negatively regulates hns and is required for the expression of HilA and virulence in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

Iron is an essential element for the survival of living cells. However, excess iron is toxic, and its uptake is exquisitely regulated by the ferric uptake regulator, Fur. In Salmonella, the Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) encodes a type three secretion system, which is required for invasion of host epithelial cells in the small intestine. A major activator of SPI-1 is HilA, which is encoded within SPI-1. One known regulator of hilA is Fur. The mechanism of hilA regulation by Fur is unknown. We report here that Fur is required for virulence in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and that Fur is required for the activation of hilA, as well as of other HilA-dependent genes, invF and sipC. The Fur-dependent regulation of hilA was independent of PhoP, a known repressor of hilA. Instead, the expression of the gene coding for the histone-like protein, hns, was significantly derepressed in the fur mutant. Indeed, the activation of hilA by Fur was dependent on 28 nucleotides located upstream of hns. Moreover, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation to show that Fur bound, in vivo, to the upstream region of hns in a metal-dependent fashion. Finally, deletion of fur in an hns mutant resulted in Fur-independent activation of hilA. In conclusion, Fur activates hilA by repressing the expression of hns.     

Pathways leading from BarA/SirA to motility and virulence gene expression in Salmonella

The barA and sirA genes of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium encode a two-component sensor kinase and a response regulator, respectively. This system increases the expression of virulence genes and decreases the expression of motility genes. In this study, we examined the pathways by which SirA affects these genes. We found that the master regulator of flagellar genes, flhDC, had a positive regulatory effect on the primary regulator of intestinal virulence determinants, hilA, but that hilA had no effect on flhDC. SirA was able to repress flhDC in a hilA mutant and activate hilA in an flhDC mutant. Therefore, although the flhDC and hilA regulatory cascades interact, sirA affects each of them independently. A form of BarA lacking the two N-terminal membrane-spanning domains, BarA198, autophosphorylates in the presence of ATP and transfers the phosphate to purified SirA. Phosphorylated SirA was found to directly bind the hilA and hilC promoters in gel mobility shift assays but not the flhD, fliA, hilD, and invF promoters. Given that the CsrA/csrB system is known to directly affect flagellar gene expression, we tested the hypothesis that SirA affects flagellar gene expression indirectly by regulating csrA or csrB. The sirA gene did not regulate csrA but did activate csrB expression. Consistent with these results, phosphorylated SirA was found to directly bind the csrB promoter but not the csrA promoter. We propose a model in which SirA directly activates virulence expression via hilA and hilC while repressing the flagellar regulon indirectly via csrB.     

The cost of virulence: retarded growth of Salmonella Typhimurium cells expressing type III secretion system 1

Virulence factors generally enhance a pathogen's fitness and thereby foster transmission. However, most studies of pathogen fitness have been performed by averaging the phenotypes over large populations. Here, we have analyzed the fitness costs of virulence factor expression by Salmonella enterica subspecies I serovar Typhimurium in simple culture experiments. The type III secretion system ttss-1, a cardinal virulence factor for eliciting Salmonella diarrhea, is expressed by just a fraction of the S. Typhimurium population, yielding a mixture of cells that either express ttss-1 (TTSS-1(+) phenotype) or not (TTSS-1(-) phenotype). Here, we studied in vitro the TTSS-1(+) phenotype at the single cell level using fluorescent protein reporters. The regulator hilA controlled the fraction of TTSS-1+ individuals and their ttss-1 expression level. Strikingly, cells of the TTSS-1(+) phenotype grew slower than cells of the TTSS-1(-) phenotype. The growth retardation was at least partially attributable to the expression of TTSS-1 effector and/or translocon proteins. In spite of this growth penalty, the TTSS-1(+) subpopulation increased from <10% to approx. 60% during the late logarithmic growth phase of an LB batch culture. This was attributable to an increasing initiation rate of ttss-1 expression, in response to environmental cues accumulating during this growth phase, as shown by experimental data and mathematical modeling. Finally, hilA and hilD mutants, which form only fast-growing TTSS-1(-) cells, outcompeted wild type S. Typhimurium in mixed cultures. Our data demonstrated that virulence factor expression imposes a growth penalty in a non-host environment. This raises important questions about compensating mechanisms during host infection which ensure successful propagation of the genotype.     

A novel multiplex PCR assay for the detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in human faeces

AIMS: To develop a multiplex PCR assay for the detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in human faeces. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 54 Salmonella strains representing 19 serovars and non-Salmonella strains representing 11 different genera were used. Five primer pairs were employed in the assay. Three of them targeted to the genes hilA, spvA and invA that encode virulence-associated factors. A fourth primer pair amplified a fragment of a unique sequence within S. enterica serovar Enteritidis genomes. An internal amplification control (a fragment of a conservative sequence within the 16S rRNA genes) was targeted by a fifth primer pair. The assay produced two or three amplicons from the invA, hilA and 16S rRNA genes for 19 Salmonella serovars. All Salmonella and non-Salmonella strains yielded a band of an internal amplification control. For S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, four products (the fourth from the spvA gene), and for S. enterica serovar Enteritidis five amplicons (the fifth from the sdf gene) were observed. S. enterica serovar Enteritidis was cultured from three of 71 rectal swabs from diarrhoeal patients. Five specific amplicons were generated with the multiplex PCR assay only from culture-positive faecal samples. CONCLUSION: The multiplex PCR assay specifically detects S. enterica serovar Enteritidis. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This is a novel multiplex PCR assay, which contains an internal amplification control and enables concurrent survey for Salmonella virulence genes.     

The virulence plasmids of Salmonella.

Certain Salmonella serovars belonging to subspecies I carry a large, low-copy-number plasmid that contains virulence genes. Virulence plasmids are required to trigger systemic disease; their involvement in the enteric stage of the infection is unclear. Salmonella virulence plasmids are heterogeneous in size (50-90 kb), but all share a 7.8 kb region, spv, required for bacterial multiplication in the reticuloendothelial system. Other loci of the plasmid, such as the fimbrial operon pef, the conjugal transfer gene traT and the enigmatic rck and rsk loci, may play a role in other stages of the infection process. The virulence plasmid of Salmonella typhimurium LT2 is self-transmissible; virulence plasmids from other serovars, such as Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella choleraesuis, carry incomplete tra operons. The presence of virulence plasmids in host-adapted serovars suggests that virulence plasmid acquisition may have expanded the host range of Salmonella.     

Uptake and replication of Salmonella enterica in Acanthamoeba rhysodes

The ability of salmonellae to become internalized and to survive and replicate in amoebae was evaluated by using three separate serovars of Salmonella enterica and five different isolates of axenic Acanthamoeba spp. In gentamicin protection assays, Salmonella enterica serovar Dublin was internalized more efficiently than Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis or Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in all of the amoeba isolates tested. The bacteria appeared to be most efficiently internalized by Acanthamoeba rhysodes. Variations in bacterial growth conditions affected internalization efficiency, but this effect was not altered by inactivation of hilA, a key regulator in the expression of the invasion-associated Salmonella pathogenicity island 1. Microscopy of infected A. rhysodes revealed that S. enterica resided within vacuoles. Prolonged incubation resulted in a loss of intracellular bacteria associated with morphological changes and loss of amoebae. In part, these alterations were associated with hilA and the Salmonella virulence plasmid. The data show that Acanthamoeba spp. can differentiate between different serovars of salmonellae and that internalization is associated with cytotoxic effects mediated by defined Salmonella virulence loci.     

Fis, a DNA nucleoid-associated protein, is involved in Salmonella typhimurium SPI-1 invasion gene expression

The ability of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to cause disease depends upon the co-ordinated expression of many genes located around the Salmonella chromosome. Specific pathogenicity loci, termed Salmonella pathogenicity islands, have been shown to be crucial for the invasion and survival of Salmonella within host cells. Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1) harbours the genes required for the stimulation of Salmonella uptake across the intestinal epithelia of the infected host. Regulation of SPI-1 genes is complex, as invasion gene expression responds to a number of different signals, presumably signals similar to those found within the environment of the intestinal tract. As a result of our continued studies of SPI-1 gene regulation, we have discovered that the nucleoid-binding protein Fis plays a pivotal role in the expression of HilA and InvF, two activators of SPI-1 genes. A S. typhimurium fis mutant demonstrates a two- to threefold reduction in hilA:Tn5lacZY and a 10-fold reduction in invF:Tn5lacZY expression, as well as a 50-fold decreased ability to invade HEp-2 tissue culture cells. This decreased expression of hilA and invF resulted in an altered secreted invasion protein profile in the fis mutant. Furthermore, the virulence of a S. typhimurium fis mutant is attenuated 100-fold when administered orally, but has wild-type virulence when administered intraperitoneally. Expression of hilA:Tn5lacZY and invF:Tn5lacZY in the fis mutant could be restored by introducing a plasmid containing the S. typhimurium fis gene or a plasmid containing hilD, a gene encoding an AraC-like regulator of Salmonella invasion genes.     

Growth kinetics response of a Salmonella typhimurium poultry marker strain to fresh produce extracts

The purpose of this research was to assess growth response of a Salmonella typhimurium poultry marker strain to fresh homogenized vegetables. Salmonella growth rates were significantly higher (p<0.05) in jalapeno extracts than any other produce extract examined. Growth rates on samples of broccoli and lettuce extracts were greater (p<0.05) than the respective growth rates on bell pepper and tomato. Broccoli extracts yielded the highest extent of growth (4 h optical density) followed by jalapeno and bell pepper extracts. From this study, it appears that fresh produce extracts have different abilities to significantly alter growth response in Salmonella. This could potentially be explained by the variations of pH, nutrient availability to the bacteria, or unknown components found within fresh produce.     

Semiquantitative assessment of the distribution of Salmonella in the environment of caged layer flocks

AIMS: To evaluate a semiquantitative technique for the enumeration of Salmonella in the environment of layer flocks and to compare findings with those of a standard qualitative technique. METHODS AND RESULTS: Samples were taken from faeces, floor dust, dust on cages, feeders and egg belts. After mixing with buffered peptone water, serial dilutions were prepared and culture was performed using pre-enrichment, then plating on semisolid selective and solid isolation media. Comparison with a qualitative pre-enrichment technique indicated a similar sensitivity for both methods despite smaller sample sizes. The numbers of Salmonella detected for a site or sample type did not correlate closely with the prevalence of positive samples. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitive detection and quantification of Salmonella in the flock environment is practicable with the technique described. Quantitative data in many cases do not correlate with qualitative findings. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The significance of certain environmental factors and interventions in the maintenance and dissemination of Salmonella in poultry houses may be over- or under-represented by prevalence data alone. The technique described allows the issue of poultry house contamination to be examined from a new perspective.