Bread: Investigation Of Attenuation Strategies To Enable Development Of A Live Fowl Typhoid Vaccine

<p>Chickens are a primary and the fastest growing source of protein in much of the developing world. Unfortunately, one organism, Salmonella gallinarum, which is widely prevalent in developing countries, causes fowl typhoid disease with devastating consequences in poultry. Vaccination against fowl typhoid is an effective approach in preventing this disease. This basic research project utilizes innovative mutational strategies and techniques for developing a live attenuated Salmonella gallinarum vaccine. Such a vaccine could have the added benefit of protecting against Salmonella pullorum, another poultry pathogen and against the human diarrheal pathogen Salmonella enteriditis, which colonizes chickens and can be transmitted to humans via contaminated eggs and meat. Broader Impacts: A long-term result of this basic science project will be the availability of a vaccine that will distributed locally to villages where it can be easily applied to small, backyard flocks. It is the hope that this will lead to a more plentiful and reliable food supply, thus combating malnutrition, particularly in the poorer rural and urban areas of the developing world. Because increased egg and poultry productivity also results in surplus that can be sold, the project could directly contribute to poverty alleviation. The results will also lead to a safer food supply by reducing the transmission of diarrheal bacterial pathogens via food. This project involves international collaborators in developing countries and local outreach activities in the US. Scientific demonstrations will be given in the Arizona community (including local high schools), and at the local science center where a large cross section of the population is exposed to the research at the Biodesign Institute on the ASU campus. This project will also support an active program of undergraduate research and all data will deposited in and shared via public databases.</p>