Salmonella-induced macrophage death: multiple mechanisms, different outcomes

The facultative intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica triggers programmed cell death in macrophages. The close examination of this phenomenon has revealed an unusually complex picture involving diverse mechanisms that lead to different types of programmed cell death. It appears that the outcome of the interaction of salmonella with macrophages depends on the relative contribution of two type III protein secretion systems, in conjunction with the stimulation of innate immunity outputs through conserved determinants collectively known as 'pathogen-associated molecular patterns' (PAMPs). These interactions result in a breakdown of the balance between survival and pro-apoptotic cellular pathways, which eventually leads to macrophage cell death. The relative significance for the infection process of the different types of macrophage cell death triggered by salmonella remains to be established.