Application of a fusion strain to assess Salmonella Typhimurium virulence potential to environmental sources

Abstract

Production of safe foods for public consumption is one of the primary goals of the food industry. The detection and subsequent reduction of pathogenic bacteria is essential for creating foods that are safe to eat. Salmonella Typhimurium is a common foodborne pathogen capable of contaminating a wide variety of foods. Understanding the requirements for this bacterium to become infective and invasive within a host is vital in combating illness. Upon ingestion, Salmonella entry into host cells requires the expression of certain genes. Specifically, a gene located in Salmonella called hilA is responsible for controlling the regulation of other genes associated with virulence expression. The product of the hilA gene, HilA, is a protein that binds to bacterial RNA and stimulates the production of other virulence genes such as those required for epithelial cell invasion. Certain environmental conditions are known to stimulate the expression of the hilA gene, and these environments can potentially affect the infective capacity of Salmonella cells. Therefore, a rapid method to assess specific environments and conditions conducive to the expression of the hilA gene may potentially be useful in reducing foodborne infections.