Reactivity of typhoid patients sera with stress induced 55 kDa phenotype in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi

Salmonella faces a variety of stresses including acid and heat, in the natural environment whether in the gastrointestinal tract of mammalian host or in the external environment during transmission where survival and multiplication is a priority for the pathogen. In the present study, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi was grown under acid (inorganic and organic) as well as heat stress and the outermembrane protein (OMP) profiles were compared. A 55 kDa OMP was found to be expressed with high intensity under the selected stress conditions in comparison to normal conditions. The protein expressed under acidic stress reacted with antibodies raised against heat shock protein indicating the similarity of atleast some of the epitopes. In vivo immunogenicity (reactivity with typhoid patient sera) revealed that the 55kDa protein under each stress condition was reactive with 83% of the typhoid sera. In the light of role of the stress induced proteins in pathogenesis of microbial infections and their immunogenic potential, these findings may be relevant for a better understanding of the host-microbe interactions and for future development of diagnostic and preventive strategies.