Production of autoinducer 2 in Salmonella enterica serovar Thompson contributes to its fitness in chickens but not on cilantro leaf surfaces.

ABSTRACT: Food-borne illness caused by Salmonella enterica has been linked traditionally to poultry products but is associated increasingly with fresh fruits and vegetables. We have investigated the role of the production of autoinducer 2 (AI-2) in the ability of S. enterica serovar Thompson to colonize the chicken intestine and the cilantro phyllosphere. A mutant of S. enterica serovar Thompson that is defective in AI-2 production was constructed by insertional mutagenesis of luxS. The population size of the S. enterica serovar Thompson parental strain was significantly higher than that of its LuxS(-) mutant in the intestine, spleen, and droppings of chicks 12 days after their oral inoculation with the strains in a ratio of 1:1. In contrast, no significant difference in the population dynamics of t

SUBMITTER: Brandl MT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1087538 | biostudies-literature | 2005 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature