Passage of Salmonella through polarized epithelial cells: role of the host and bacterium

Salmonella are intracellular parasites which enter their hosts by penetrating the intestinal epithelial barrier. We examined the interaction of S. choleraesuis and S. typhimurium with Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) and human larynx (HEp-2) epithelial cells to characterize bacterial adherence, invasion and penetration through epithelial monolayers. Epithelial cell microfilaments were required for bacterial internalization and surrounded the bacteria as they were internalized. The bacteria entered membrane-bound vacuoles inside epithelial cells where they replicated. When polarized MDCK cell monolayers were infected, we found that Salmonella could pass through this barrier and enter medium bathing the opposite surface, although most bacteria remained within the monolayer. Synthesis of several Salmonella proteins was induced by the presence of epithelial cell surfaces, and these proteins were required for bacterial adherence and invasion. This induction was stimulated by trypsin- and neuraminidase-sensitive structures on epithelial cells.