Strain variability of salmonella enterica and the central role of rpos sigma factor in stress resistance and overall phenotype

Abstract

Salmonella is considered to be one of the most important causal agents of food borne illness throughout the world. The ability of Salmonella to resist stress and survive under adverse conditions can vary between strains. This work examines the contribution of variable phenotypic properties to survival under mild and severe stress and how these are linked with genetic and functional variability of rpoS gene and RpoS status respectively in representative serovars of Salmonella enterica commonly associated with foodborne illness. The test strains were Salmonella serovars Anatum, Enteritidis (466), Enteritidis (496), Hadar, Heidelberg, Montevideo, Newport and Virchow and two Typhimurium strains previously characterised as either RpoS-positive or RpoS-negative.