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High-throughput Assay to Phenotype Salmonella enterica Typhimurium Association, Invasion, and Replication in Macrophages
Published on: August 11, 2014
The Role of Typhoid Toxin in Salmonella Typhi Virulence
Alexander Chong1, Sohyoung Lee1, Yi-An Yang1
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Ithaca, NY.
Abstract:
Unlike many of the nontyphoidal Salmonella serovars such as S. Typhimurium that cause restricted gastroenteritis, Salmonella Typhi is unique in that it causes life-threatening typhoid fever in humans. Despite the vast difference in disease outcomes that S. Typhi and S. Typhimurium cause in humans, there are few genomic regions that are unique to S. Typhi. Of these regions, the most notable is the small locus encoding typhoid toxin, an AB toxin that has several distinct characteristics that contribute to S. Typhi's pathogenicity. As a result, typhoid toxin and its role in S. Typhi virulence have been studied in an effort to gain insight into potential treatment and prevention strategies. Given the rise of multidrug-resistant strains, research in this area has become increasingly important. This article discusses the current understanding of typhoid toxin and potential directions for future research endeavors in order to better understand the contribution of typhoid toxin to S. Typhi virulence.
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