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The goals of this project are the identification and characterization of bacterial genes which enable S. typhimurium to cause systemic infection in cattle. The role that these genes play during infection will be examined by determining the ability of attenuated bacterial mutants to spread to different organs in cattle. Finally, by determining whether the same set of virulence genes identified in cattle is also required for infection of the mouse, we will determine whether any of the genes identified in this study are host-specific adaptations to causing disease in cattle.
Salmonellosis is the most frequent food-borne illness in the U.S. and is usually contracted by consumption of meat and dairy products from infected livestock. Little is known about genes allowing Salmonella typhimurium to cause systemic infection in cattle, an important meat source in the U.S. Since systemic infection can lead to a chronic carrier state, information about the mechanisms used by S. typhimurium to establish systemic infection is relevant to development of strategies to eliminate this pathogen from cattle. The goals of this project are the identification and characterization of bacterial genes which enable S. typhimurium to cause systemic infection in cattle. The role that these genes play during infection will be examined by determining the ability of attenuated bacterial mutants to spread to different organs in cattle. Finally, by determining whether the same set of virulence genes identified in cattle is also required for infection of the mouse, we will determine whether any of the genes identified in this study are host-specific adaptations to causing disease in cattle. The results of this research will help to develop strategies for reducing the number of carrier animals from cattle herds as well as for the detection of Salmonella in meat and dairy products, thereby increasing food safety.