Determina la capacidad virulenta de una cepa aislada de la vesícula biliar de un cuy, con signos compatibles con salmonelosis, para identificar sus genes asociados a virulencia y resistencia a antibióticos. En este estudio, el genoma completo de S. Typhimurium cepa VET1 se sometió a un análisis in silico, que comenzó con el secuenciamiento mediante la plataforma Illumina HiSeq para generar lecturas de 2 × 101 pb. La calidad de los datos se verificó con FASTQC y los adaptadores fueron recortados con Trimmomatic. Las lecturas fueron ensamblados usando Velvet v.1.2.10 y se generaron 149 contigs con una cobertura de 111.0x, que dio como resultado un tamaño total del genoma de 4 905041 pb, con un contenido de G + C del 52.14%. La anotación génica mostró 4 885 genes, de los cuales 4 630 fueron CDS y 255 ARN, incluyendo 2 de ARNr, 56 ARNr y 197 ARNnc. Usando PHASTER, se identificaron tres regiones de profagos, incluyendo Gifsy-2, 118970_sal3 y RE-2010. La cepa VET1 fue asignada a ST19 utilizando el tipo de secuencia multilocus (MLST). Se identificó un total de 244 factores de virulencia. Entre ellos, 78 pertenecían a genes codificadores del sistema de secreción tipo 3 (T3SS), 68 a genes codificadores de la adherencia fimbrial y 51 a genes que codifican flagelos. Se consultó la base de datos CARD para identificar genotipos relacionados con la resistencia en el genoma de S. Typhimurium VET1. Se identificaron un total de 16 proteínas relacionadas a resistencia antimicrobiana, que pertenecen a 6 familias diferentes de genes de resistencia a antibióticos. Este estudio mostró que la cepa VET1 alberga genes que codifican adhesinas, proteínas flagelares, T3SS, sistemas de adquisición de hierro y genes de resistencia a antibióticos que pueden explicar la patogenicidad, capacidad de colonización y persistencia en el cuy. La existencia de elementos genéticos móviles sugiere que esta cepa podría adquirir y transferir material genético. El análisis genómico comparativo entre VET1 y otras cepas de Salmonella proporcionaría información fructífera para comprender la especificidad del huésped y desarrollar medidas de control contra la infección por S. Typhimurium. / Perú. Ministerio de la Producción. Programa Nacional de Innovación para la Competitividad y Productividad (Innóvate Perú) / Tesis

Determina el efecto de la Salmonella Typhimurium sobre los parámetros productivos, composición química y calidad microbiológica de la carne de cuy (Cavia porcellus). El trabajo se realizó en la unidad de experimentación de cuyes del laboratorio de Bioquímica, Nutrición y Alimentación Animal de la Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria, UNMSM. Se utilizaron 40 cuyes machos de engorde que fueron distribuidos en 4 tratamientos con diez (10) repeticiones cada uno; T1: cuyes alimentados con dieta base + solución salina (control), T2: cuyes alimentados con dieta base + APC + solución salina, T3: cuyes alimentados con dieta base y desafiados experimentalmente con Salmonella Typhimurium, T4: cuyes alimentados con dieta base + APC y desafiados experimentalmente con Salmonella Typhimurium. En el día 11, los animales del T1 y del T2 fueron dosificados vía oral con solución salina, mientras que los T3 y T4 fueron desafiados con una dosis infectiva (2 x 106 UFC) de Salmonella Typhimurium, por única vez. Se evaluaron los parámetros productivos (ganancia de peso, consumo de alimento, conversión alimenticia), la composición química y la calidad microbiológica de la carne de cuy. Los cuyes de los tratamientos T3 yT4 presentaron, significativamente (p<0.05), menor ganancia de peso vivo total (T3: 534g; T4: 577 g) y mayor índice de conversión alimenticia (T3: 6.29; T4: 5.92) comparados con el grupo de animales no desafiados (T1: 761g, 4.04; T2: 828 g, 3.66). No se observó diferencia estadística significativa en el rendimiento de la canal de los cuyes en los cuatro tratamientos. El número de casos con mayor presencia de Salmonella sp. se observó en ganglios linfáticos, hígado, bazo, vesícula biliar y pulmón de las muestras de órganos de los grupos T3 y T4. Se concluye que el desafío oral a Salmonella Typhimurium causa, significativamente (p<0.05), una menor ganancia de peso vivo, menor porcentaje de proteína en la canal, mayor índice de conversión alimenticia y menor retribución económica en animales desafiados comparados con el grupo de animales no desafiados. / Tesis

Chapter-I Introduction The bacteria known as Salmonellae are gram-negative, rod-shaped intracellular pathogenic bacilli that belong to the family Enterobacteriacea and causes typhoid fever. Enteric fever or typhoid fever is a systemic infection caused by human specific enteric pathogen S.typhi. Another very similar but less severe disease, paratyphoid fever, is caused by another human pathogen S.paratyphi A, B and C and S.sendai. Typhoid fever is estimated to have caused 21.6 million illness and 1-4 % death worldwide in the year of 2000 effecting all ages and 90% of death occurs in Asia. In Asia, the incident of typhoid fever was highest with 274 cases per 100,000 persons worldwide, especially in Southeast Asian countries and the Indian subcontinent, followed by sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America with 50 cases per 100,000 persons. Transmission of the disease occurs through faecal-oral route upon ingestion of contaminated water and food. Salmonella can stay for long in ground and pond water. Typhoid fever can be fatal if left untreated and there are reports of 10-30 fatality in such cases and can persist for weeks. Prevention is better than cure. Same hold true even for typhoid fever also. The important and key preventive measures are clean and safe water, safe food, personal hygiene and appropriate sanitation. There are many antibiotics for typhoid fever but till now there are only two licensed vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization for the typhoid fever, one Vi polysaccharide subunit vaccine (sold as Typhim Vi by Sanofi Pasteur and Typherix by GlaxoSmithKline) which is administered through intramuscular route and another one is live oral attenuated vaccine Ty21a (sold as Vivotif Berna) for oral immunization. Both the vaccines are recommended to be used for the children above the age of 3-5 years. Both are between 50 to 80% protective and are recommended for travelers to areas where typhoid is endemic. Salmonella has evolved many strategies to survive inside host system especially during initial time of infection when bacteria counteract to host AMPs in intestine lumen. Salmonella has many pathogenesis island which help bacteria to invade the host system e.g. SPI-1(Salmonella pathogenicity island -1) and also help in intracellular survival as well proliferation e.g. SPI-2 (Salmonella pathogenicity island -2). Salmonella has many strategies to evade host immune system, one of them which is very important for bacteria is LPS modification. Salmonella is capable to modify its own LPS by increasing the +ve charge and increasing AMPs resistance. This modification and resistance is brought about by PhoP/Q and pmrA/B two different two-component system (TCS). These TCS regulate many genes like pmrD, pmrC, pmrG, pmrH-M operon, pmrE etc, which are important for LPS modification by adding 4-amino-arabinose and provide antimicrobial peptide resistance. Chapter-II Development of live attenuated Salmonella vaccine The superiority of live attenuated vaccines in systemic salmonellosis has been proven over killed and subunit vaccines, because of its ability to induce protective cell mediated immunity by CD8+ T cells. A live attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium vaccine has been developed by systematic site directed deletion of the pmrG-HM-D chromosomal genomic loci. This gene confers involved in antimicrobial peptide resistance and is involved in LPS modification, both of which are the major immune evasive mechanisms in Salmonella. The efficacy of the newly developed strain in inducing protection against mortality after challenge with the virulent wild type Salmonella typhimurium 12023 was evaluated in mice model of typhoid fever. Animals were immunized and then boosted on days 7 and 14. Following challenge with virulent S. typhimurium 12023, organ burden and mortality of vaccinated mice were less compared to non-immunized controls. The vaccine strain also induced elevated CD8+ T cells in the vaccinated mice. This multiple mutant vaccine candidate appears to be safe for use in pregnant mice and provides a model for the development of live vaccine candidates against naturally occurring salmonellosis and typhoid fever. Chapter -III A Safe and Efficient Vaccine against Salmonella Infection During Pregnancy Pregnancy is a transient immuno-compromised condition which has evolved to avoid the immune rejection of the fetus by the maternal immune system. The altered immune response of the pregnant female leads to increased susceptibility to invading pathogens, resulting in abortion and congenital defects of the fetus and a subnormal response to vaccination. Active vaccination during pregnancy may lead to abortion induced by heightened cell mediated immune response. In this study, we have administered the highly attenuated vaccine strain ΔpmrG-HM-D (DV-STM-07) in female mice before onset of pregnancy and followed the immune reaction against challenge with virulent S. typhimurium in pregnant mice. This vaccine strain gives protection against Salmonella in pregnant mice and also prevents Salmonella induced abortion. This protection is conferred by directing the immune response towards humoral immunity through Th2 activation and Th1 suppression. The low Th1 response prevents abortion. The use of live attenuated vaccine just before pregnancy carries the risk of transmission to the fetus. We have shown that this vaccine is safe as the vaccine strain is quickly eliminated from the mother and is not transmitted to the fetus. This vaccine also confers immunity to the new born mice of vaccinated mothers. Since there is no evidence of the vaccine candidate reaching the new born mice, we hypothesize that it may be due to trans-colostral transfer of protective anti-Salmonella antibodies. Chapter-IV Crosstalk between Salmonella genes involved in antimicrobial peptide resistance (pmrG, pmrD, pmr H-M) The pmr system of Salmonella consists of many genes and they are regulated by two component system (TCS), PmrA/B and PhoP/Q. These two component systems are activated at different Mg 2+and Fe3+ condition, low pH and the presence of antimicrobial peptides. Downstream genes like pmrD, pmrG, pmrH-M operon, pmrE, pmrC ect which are regulated by these TCS are involved in LPS modification and AMPs resistance. When these genes were deleted a highly attenuated strain with good vaccine potential was developed. The high degree of attenuation of the vaccine strain is a combined effect of the deletion of the all genes, when single mutation of the two single genes and the operon were created; the attenuation was not as good as the vaccine strain. When tried checking the cross-talk between these genes in vaccine strain and the single mutants of pmrD, pmrG and pmrH-M operon. In one of the previous report pmrH-M mutant was shown to be attenuated through oral route but not through intra-peritoneal route. However, pmrD-HM-G mutant (DV-STM-07) was attenuated when administered through both the routes of infection. To further explain the cross-talk and regulation of these genes, promoter analysis was done for all genes individually in different mutant background of pmrD, pmrG, pmrH-M and DV-STM-07. We hypothesize that the superior attenuation of the triple mutant is achieved because of transcriptional cross-regulation that exists between these genes which attenuates the bacteria when administered through the intra-peritoneal route.

Chapter Introduction Salmonellae are gram negative bacteria that cause gastroenteritis and entericfever. S. enterica is divided into seven phylogenetic groups, subspecies 1, 2,3a, 3b, and 4, 6, 7. Subspecies1 includes 1,367 serovars, some of which are commonly isolated from infected birds and mammals. The other subspecies mainly colonize cold blooded animals. Salmonella typhimurium, Salmonella typhiandSalmonella enteritidis are some of the serovars, which belong to s.enterica species. S. typhimurium is one of the important causes for food poisoning in humans. It causes typhoid like fever in mice. In immuno compromised patients the infection is often fatal if it is not treated with antibiotics. Clinical features of food poisoning include abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps, dehydration etc. S. typhi causes typhoid fever in humans. No other host has been identified for this serovar. Main source of infection is contaminated food and water. No age is exempted but it is less common before2 years. Incubation period is 360 days. Clinical features include stepladder type fever, malaise, headache, hepato splenomegaly, coated tongue, Neutrogena etc. It may be fatal if untreated. Among the serovars of Salmonella infecting humans S. typhimurium and S. typhi are the most important. While S. typhimurium infects many host species including birds and mammals, S. typhi is single host adapted and infects only human. The single host adaptation of S. typhi presents it with the need for establishing are servoir of infection in the community which can serve as a source of fresh infection. Also the single host adaptation of S. typhi has made it a highly specialized pathogen which has evolved certain unique genes needed for human colonization at the same time has lost a set of genes which are needed for survival in other hosts and in the highly variable external environment. This has led to the accumulation of a vast number of pseudo genesin S. Typhi. A comparative study of the two serovars is useful in many ways. Due to varied host defense systems encountered by the two serovars owing to different niche of infection the bacterial counter defense mechanisms are also different. By focusing on the differences between genes involved in the bacterial defense of host immune response we can decipher the role played by various genes in combating the antibacterial host response. Chapter 2 The role of TolA and peptidoglycan modification in detergent resistance of pathogenic Salmonella The major Salmonella serovars that infect human are Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S.typhi) which cause systemic typhoid and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. typhimurium) which cause gastro enteritis. S. typhi resides in the gall bladder during chronic infection and S .typhimurium infects intestine .Thus both pathogens encounter high concentrations of bile and have developed mechanisms to counter it. The Tol Pal complex spanning the outermembrane and the inner cytoplasmic membrane plays an important role in maintaining the stability of the outer membrane and providing detergent resistance. The tolA gene of S. Typhi Is shorter by 27 aminoacid than S. typhimurium. The tolA gene knockout of S. typhimurium and S. typhi differed in their tritonX resistance behavoiur, morphology and low osmolality tolerance. S. typhi tolA was unable to complement the tolA defect in S. typhimurium which could probably due to the difference in the peptidoglycan layer. An analys is of the peptidoglycan modifying genes of both the serovars revealed that dacD, pbgP, ynhG are different. dacD, pbgP genes are pseudogenes in S. typhi and ynhG has a major deletion in S. typhi. Further studies reveal that a double knockout of dacD and pbpG in S. typhimurium makes it sensitive to low osmolality similar to S. typhi. Based on these results we propose a mechanism, where shortening of TolA increases detergent resistance by bringing the outer membrane into closer contact with the peptidoglycan layer, but this is achieved at the cost of reduced Lpp (Bruan’slipoprotein) peptidoglycan linkage which plays a major role in low osmolality tolerance. The pathogen S. typhi is highly adapted to the human host and cannot infect any other host. The single host adaptation and the need to survive in high concentrations of bile have made S. typhi to acquire higher bile resistance at the cost of lowered osmotic tolerance through shortening TolA and reduced Lpp and peptidoglycan binding. Chapter 3 Development of a DNA vaccine against Salmonella The immune response against Salmonella is multifaceted involving both the innate and the adaptive immune system. The characterization of specific Salmonella antigens inducing immune response could critically contribute to the development of epitope based vaccines for Salmonella. We have tried to identify aprotective Tcellepitope (s) of Salmonella, as cell mediated immunity conferred by CD8+T cells is the most crucial subset conferring protective immunity against Salmonella. It being a proven fact that secreted proteins are better in inducing cell mediated immunity than cell surface and cytosolic antigens, we have analyzed all the GenBank annotated Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 and 2 secreted proteins of S. typhimurium and S. typhi. They were subjected to BIMAS and SYFPEITHI analysis to map MHCI and MHC II binding epitopes. The huge profile of possible T cell epitopes obtained from the two classes of secreted proteins were tabulated and using a scoring system that considers the binding affinity and promiscuity of binding to more than one allele, SopB and SifB were chosen for experimental confirmation in murine immunization model. The entire Sop Band SifB genes were cloned into DNA vaccine vectors and were administered along with live attenuated Salmonella and it was found that SopB vaccination reduced the bacterial burden of organs by about 5fold on day4 and day8 after challenge with virulent Salmonella and proved to be a more efficient vaccination strategy than live attenuated bacteria alone. Chapter 4 PCR based diagnosis and Serovar Determination of Blood Borne Salmonella Typhoid fever is becoming an ever increasing threat in the developing countries. We have improved considerably upon the existing PCR based diagnosis method by designing primers against a region which is unique to S. typhiand S. paratyphiA, corresponding to the gene STY0312 in S. typhi and its homolog SPA2476 in S. paratyphiA. An additional set of primers amplify another region in S. typhi CT18 and S. typhiTy2 corresponding to the region between the genes STY0313 toSTY0316 but which is absent in S.paratyphi A. The threat of false negative result arising due to mutation in hypervariable genes has been reduced by targeting a gene unique to typhoidal Salmonella as a diagnostic marker. The amplified region has been tested for genomic stability by amplifying them from clinical is olates of patients from various geographical locations in India, there by showing that this region is potentially stable. These set of primers can also differentiate between S. typhiCT18, S. typhiTy2 and S. paratyphi A which have stable deletions in this specific locus. The PCR assay designed in this study has a sensitivityof95%ascompared to the Widal test which had only 63%. As observed, in certain cases the PCR assay was more sensitive than the blood culture test as the PCR based detection could also detect dead bacteria.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T14:37:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_talita_tejada.pdf: 1229434 bytes, checksum: 00aa0198737634a5ddf797dd569f628f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-04 / Salmonella is one of the main causative agents of foodborne diseases, and chicken-based products play a prominent role in this context, serving as vehicles to the microorganism. The present study aimed to provide data on the Salmonella spread in the poultry chain, check the occurrence of Salmonella and its different serotypes isolated from chicken stool, chicken products and human stool, as well as to verify the similarity between DNA profiles of Samonella isolated. Literature on the occurrence of Salmonella in the poultry chain was reviewed; parallel to it, a project in which 600 samples (200 chicken meat, 200 chicken stool and 200 human stool samples) were analyzed for Salmonella presence was developed. DNA profiles of isolated strains were obtained by PFGE and REP-PCR. The microorganism was isolated from 16 samples, 8 (8/200 4%) from chicken products, 4 of which (4/200 2%) from chicken stool and 4 (4/200 2%) from human stool. Salmonella serotype Schwarzengrund was found to prevail both in chicken meat and chicken stool, followed by serotype Mbandaka, whereas serotype Panama prevailed in humans. Strains with indistinguishable genotypes were found to be present both in chicken stool and chicken products, suggesting that the chicken contamination on the farm remained in the processed product. In humans, the isolated strains were indistinguishable between one another, suggesting an outbreak occurrence; however, the isolated serotypes in humans were not the same as those in chickens, which is probably related to different contamination sources. / Salmonella é um dos principais agentes causadores de doenças transmitidas por alimentos e os produtos a base de frango tem destaque importante neste contexto, podendo servir de veículo desse micro-organismo. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo apresentar dados quanto à propagação de Salmonella na cadeia avícola, verificar a ocorrência de Salmonella e de suas diferentes sorotipos isoladas de fezes de frango, produtos de frango e fezes humanas, bem como para verificar a similaridade entre os perfis de DNA de Salmonella isolados no extremo sul do Brasil. Foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica discorrendo sobre Salmonella na cadeia aviária e paralelamente foi desenvolvido um projeto, no qual foram analisadas 600 amostras (200 de carne de frango, 200 de fezes de frango e 200 de fezes de humanos), quanto à presença de Salmonella. Os perfis de DNA das cepas isoladas foram obtidos em PFGE e REP-PCR. O micro-organismo foi isolado de 16 amostras, sendo 8 (8/200 4%) de produtos de frango, 4 (4/200 2%) de fezes de frango e 4 (4/200 2%) de fezes de humanos. Observou-se que, tanto em carne de frango como fezes de frango, o sorotipo predominante foi Schwazengrund, seguido de Mbandaka. Em humanos, predominou S. Panama. Foi constatado que de cepas com genótipos indistinguíveis estavam presentes tanto em fezes de frango como produtos de frango, sugerindo que a contaminação do frango no aviário permaneceu no produto processado. Em humanos, as cepas isoladas foram indistinguíveis entre si sugerindo que tenha ocorrido um surto, no entanto, os sorotipos isolados não foram os mesmos dos isolados de frango, o que sugere outra fonte de contaminação.

Chapter -I Introduction Salmonella is a pathogen well-known for its ability to infect a wide variety of hosts and causes disease ranging from mild gastroenteritis to typhoid fever. During infection, it is exposed to a myriad of conditions; from the aquatic environment, the gut lumen to the phagolysosome. The success of Salmonella as a pathogen lies in its ability to sense each of these environments and adapt itself for survival and proliferation accordingly. This is done mainly via the action of specific two-component systems (TCSs) which sense cues specific to each of these niches and trigger the appropriate transcriptional reprogramming. This reprogramming is best studied for the genes directly known to be involved in virulence. In the case of Salmonella, most of these genes are a part of specific clusters, acquired through horizontal gene transfer, known as Salmonella Pathogenicity Islands (SPIs). Of the various SPIs, the two most important are SPI-1 and SPI-2. SPI-1 is classically involved in orchestrating bacterial invasion of non-phagocytic cells in the gut, allowing the pathogen to invade the host. Furthermore, its role is well characterized in the classic inflammation associated with gastroenteritis. On the other hand, SPI-2 is specialized for survival within the harsh intracellular environment of host cells such as macrophages and epithelial cells. Other important virulence determinants include motility, chemotaxis as well as adhesins. The transcription of these virulence genes is under tight regulation and responsive to environmental conditions. Many small molecules such as short chain fatty acids, pp(p)Gpp, bile and acyl homoserine lactones among others are known to be potent regulators of virulence in Salmonella. Furthermore, the metabolic products of the normal flora in the gut also affect its virulence. Thus the metabolic status, of both the host as well as the pathogen, plays an important role in determining the outcome of the infection. Many metabolic enzymes and their products are now known to directly or indirectly affect virulence gene expression. In this study, we explore one such class of metabolic enzymes viz amino acid racemases. They catalyze the chiral conversion of L-amino acids to D-amino acids and vice versa. We have studied the biochemical properties of two such non-canonical racemases as well as their role in bacterial survival and pathogenesis. Chapter-II Identification and characterization of putative aspartate racemases in Salmonella Amino acid racemases, such as alanine and glutamate racemases, are ubiquitously found in all bacteria and they play an essential role in cell wall biosynthesis. Recently it has been found, that bacteria possess other amino acid racemases which produce non-canonical D-amino acids. These D-amino acids, upon secretion, further orchestrate various phenotypes such as cell wall remodeling and biofilm dispersal. In this study, we have explored the ability of Salmonella to produce such non-canonical D-amino acids. The genome of S. Typhimurium possesses genes encoding two putative aspartate racemases; ygeA and aspR. These genes were maximally expressed in mid-log phase of bacterial growth and their corresponding proteins ar localized in the outer membrane of the bacterium. The biochemical characterization of the proteins YgeA and AspR revealed that only the latter is catalytically active under in vitro conditions. AspR could catalyze the conversion of L-Aspartate to D-Aspartate and vice versa, however was unable to use any other amino acid as its substrate. With atleast one of the racemases showing catalytic activity, the profiling of the secreted D-amino acids in Salmonella conditioned medium was undertaken using LC-MS. It was observed that the bacterium actively secreted specific D-amino acids such as D-Ala and D-Met into the culture medium in a growth-phase dependent manner. Furthermore, analysis of the secreted D-amino acid profile of the strains lacking either one or both the racemases revealed that atleast a subset of the secreted D-amino acids were dependent on the activity of YgeA and AspR. Thus, D-amino acids secreted by S. Typhimurium might represent a novel class of signaling molecules. Chapter – III Role of aspartate racemases in growth and survival of S. Typhimurium In order to understand the role of ygeA and aspR in vivo, we created knockouts of these genes (both single as well as double knockout) in S. Typhimurium using λ Red recombinase strategy. These knockouts were then assessed for their growth and morphology. The aspartate racemase knockouts behave similar to the wild type during growth in LB as well as M9 minimal medium. While their gross morphology remained the same as the wild type, the size distribution of the racemase knockouts was slightly different in the stationary phase. Unlike the wild type bacteria, the mutants did not exhibit the characteristic reduction in cell size upon entry into stationary phase. In addition, the survival of the mutants in the presence of cell wall damaging agents such as bile and Triton-X 100 was compromised as compared to the wild type. This can be ascribed to changes in the cell wall of the bacterium, wherein the mutants accumulated peptidoglycan in the stationary phase of growth. This suggests that aspartate racemases might have an effect on cell wall biosynthesis in Salmonella in the stationary phase. Another important strategy employed by bacteria to survive in stress conditions is biofilm formation. It was seen that the mutants were compromised in their ability to form a biofilm at the liquid-air interface in vitro. This defect is due to a transcriptional downregulation of the genes required for biofilm formation. These results demonstrate that, contrary to the established inhibitory effects of D-amino acids on biofilms of various bacteria, the aspartate racemases appear to act as positive regulators of biofilm formation in Salmonella. Chapter – IV Involvement of aspartate racemases in the regulation of Salmonella pathogenesis Salmonella’s success as a pathogen can be broadly assessed by its ability to invade and replicate within two major cell types: epithelial cells and macrophage-like cells. We have studied the fate of the aspartate racemase knockout strains in both these cell types. While the mutants replicate as well as the wild type in macrophage cell lines, their ability to invade epithelial cell lines is highly compromised. This defect can be ascribed to the downregulation of the Salmonella Pathogenicity Island-1 (SPI-1) in the racemase knockouts at the transcriptional level. One of the major pathways that regulate SPI-1 activation is the flagellar pathway. It was observed that in addition to SPI-1, the motility of the racemase mutants was also highly compromised. The mutants did not possess any flagella and showed a high transcriptional downregulation of all the three classes of flagellar genes. Transcriptome analysis revealed a global reprogramming in the aspartate racemase mutants, resulting in the differential regulation of motility, adhesion, amino acid transport, cell wall biosynthesis and other pathways. Of the genes upregulated in the knockouts, FimZ is known for its negative effect on motility and might be responsible for the observed downregulation of the flagellar regulon. This suggests that ygeA and aspR might be repressors of fimbrial gene expression. In totality, the racemases affected the pathogenesis of Salmonella, where the double knockout was severely compromised in the colitis model of infection. Overall the study is the first to identify secretion of non-canonical D-amino acids by Salmonella and suggests that YgeA and AspR might be the source of the same. This is supported in part by in vitro studies with the purified proteins. Studies in vivo further highlight the possible substrates that might be utilized by these enzymes. Physiologically, the aspartate racemases appear to regulate cell wall remodeling and biofilm formation. In contrast to the established literature, aspartate racemases (and their possible D-amino acid products) seem to be essential for formation of biofilms and regulate this phenotype at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, our studies put forth aspartate racemases as novel positive regulators of Flagella and SPI-1, affecting the success of Salmonella in the colitis model of infection in mice. Transcriptome analysis hints at the pleiotropic effects of aspartate racemases in Salmonella, bringing forth hitherto unexplored roles for this class of enzymes in the biology of this pathogen.

La salmonelosis es considerada la enfermedad más grave que afecta a los cobayos, causando altas tasas de mortalidad y morbilidad, principalmente por los serovares Typhimurium y Enteritidis. Para que se lleve a cabo la infección, debe existir la expresión de diversos grupos de genes que permitan a la bacteria adherirse, multiplicarse y sobrevivir a las defensas del hospedero. El objetivo del estudio fue caracterizar molecularmente aislados de Salmonella enterica provenientes del cepario del Laboratorio de Microbiología y Parasitología de la Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Se utilizaron 80 aislados, 70 obtenidos de cobayos infectados naturalmente y cinco de clínicamente sanos, procedentes de granjas de producción intensiva ubicadas en Lima y Junín, Perú. Se utilizó la técnica de Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa (PCR) múltiple para la detección de genes invA, prot6E y fliC, correspondientes al género Salmonella, serovar Enteritidis y Typhimurium, respectivamente. También se detectaron los genes de virulencia tolC, sitC, spiA, sopB, lpfC, sifA, spvB, pefA y sipB, necesarios para producir la enfermedad. Finalmente, se evaluó la variabilidad genética mediante la técnica de ERIC-PCR utilizando los primers ERIC1R y ERIC2. Para evaluar la diversidad de los aislados, se realizó el análisis de agrupamiento para generar un dendrograma usando el programa bioinformático NTSYSpc 2.10, empleando el método UPGMA basado en el coeficiente de similaridad de DICE. Se identificó la serovariedad Typhimurium y los nueve genes de virulencia en el 100% de los aislados. La evaluación de los perfiles electroforéticos obtenidos por la técnica de ERIC-PCR demostró patrones de bandas de ADN similares con una homogeneidad mayor al 90%, lo que sugiere una dispersión clonal de los aislados. La presencia de cepas de Salmonella Typhimurium con una amplia variedad de genes de virulencia constituye un riesgo potencial para la producción de cobayos y una fuente de contaminación alimentaria o por contacto al humano. / Tesis

O presente trabalho objetivou identificar os fatores de risco para a presença de S. Enteritidis no sistema de produção de frangos de corte, avaliar, qualificar e quantificar as variáveis encontradas e elaborar um modelo teórico de estimativa de risco deste sorovar em frangos criados em sistema de integração. Os dados foram obtidos de trabalhos recentes realizados por alguns autores e deram subsídios à realização de uma análise de riscos microbiológicos. Para caracterização molecular foram utilizadas 42 cepas de Salmonella isoladas de frangos e rações inoculados experimentalmente com uma cepa de S. Typhimurium. A inoculação da bactéria foi realizada na ração e a mesma tratada com diferentes concentrações dos ácidos propílico, fórmico e acético sendo, então, fornecida para consumo ad libitum até os 21 dias de idade, quando as aves foram sacrificadas. Foram obtidos diferentes perfis genéticos com o uso do ERIC e BOX-PCR, que se mostraram eficientes para discriminação das cepas em estudo. / The aim of this work was identify the risk factors for S. Enteritidis in the production system of broiler chickens, to evaluate, qualify and quantify the variables studied and to make a theoretical model of risk assessment of this serovar in broilers in integration system. Therefore, the data was obtain from works of some authors and supported the proposed model of microbiological risk analysis. For molecular characterization were included 42 Salmonella spp. strains isolated from chicks and feed experimentally inoculated with S. Tiphimurium. After inoculation of feed with the specific dose of strain, it was submitted to treatment with propilic, formic and acetic acids in several concentrations and it was given to birds ad libitum until 21 days old, when they were sacrificed. It was obtained different patterns through the ERIC and BOX-PCR techniques, which showed good discrimination power for the strains analyzed.

Salmonella é uma das principais causas de Doenças Transmitidas por Alimentos em todo o mundo, sendo que no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (RS) esse microrganismo tem sido apontado como um dos principais agentes de toxinfecções alimentares nos últimos anos. Neste trabalho foram caracterizados isolados de Salmonella envolvidas em salmoneloses ocorridas no RS, no período de 2007 a 2013. Entre os 163 isolados investigados, 138 (84,7%) foram sorotipificados com S. Enteritidis, enquanto os outros isolados foram S. Schwarzengrund (n = 9 – 5,5 %), S. Typhimurium (n = 6 – 3,7%), S. Infantis (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. Agona (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. Derby (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. London (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. Give (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. Panama (n = 1 – 0,6 %) e S. enterica (n = 4 – 2,5 %). Os principais alimentos envolvidos nos surtos foram maionese caseira (17,39%), seguido dos produtos de confeitaria (15,94 %) e carnes (12,32 %). A resistência da S. Enteritidis a 12 agentes antimicrobianos também foi investigada. As maiores porcentagens de resistência foram encontradas em relação à nitrofurantoína (94,2 %) e ao ácido nalidíxico (89,1 %). A resistência para duas drogas foi verificada em 80,43 % dos isolados. Sendo que a multirresistência para três ou cinco antimicrobianos foi verificada em quatro e dois isolados, respectivamente. Quando os isolados foram submetidos à PCR-Ribotipificação, apenas um perfil de bandas foi identificado. Os resultados de PCR-Ribotipificação sugerem que uma mesma cepa de S. Enteritidis foi isolada a partir de alimentos envolvidos em salmoneloses ocorridas em diferentes municípios do Estado do RS no período de 2007 a 2013. Uma vez que o mesmo perfil de bandas foi identificado em S. Enteritidis causadoras de salmoneloses, durante 1999 a 2006, os resultados indicam que a mesma cepa de S. Enteritidis tem causado surtos alimentares no RS, durante o período de 1999 a 2013. / Salmonella is a major cause of Foodborne Diseases worldwide, and in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) this microorganism has been identified as the main agent of foodborne diseases in last years. In this work, Salmonella isolates responsible for salmonellosis occurred in the State of RS, in the period 2007 to 2013 were characterized. Among the 163 isolates investigated, 138 (84.7 %) were serotyped as S. Enteritidis, whereas the other isolates were S. Schwarzengrund (n = 9 – 5.5 %), S. Typhimurium (n = 6 – 3.7 %), S. Infantis (n = 1 – 0.6 %), S. Agona (n = 1 – 0.6 %), S. Derby (n = 1 – 0.6%), S. London (n = 1 – 0.6 %), S. Give (n = 1 – 0.6 %), S. Panama (n = 1 – 0.6 %) and S. enterica (n = 4 – 2.5 %). The main food vehicles identified were homemade mayonnaise (17.39 %), followed by pastry products (15.94 %) and beef (12.32 %). The S. Enteritidis resistance to 12 antimicrobial agents was investigated. The highest percentages of resistance were found to nitrofurantoin (94.2 %) and nalidixic acid (89.1 %). The resistance to two different drugs was observed in 80.43 % of the isolates. Multidrug-resistance for three to five antimicrobials was observed in four and two isolates, respectively. When the isolates were analysed by PCR-Ribotyping, only one banding profile was identified. The results of PCR-Ribotyping suggest that the same strain of S. Enteritidis was isolated from foods involved in salmonelloses occurred in different municipalities of the State of RS in the period 2007-2013. Since the same banding pattern was found in strains involved in salmonellosis outbreaks of 1999 to 2006, results indicated that the same strain of S. Enteritidis has caused salmonellosis outbreaks in RS, during the period of 1999 to 2013.

Salmonella é uma das principais causas de Doenças Transmitidas por Alimentos em todo o mundo, sendo que no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (RS) esse microrganismo tem sido apontado como um dos principais agentes de toxinfecções alimentares nos últimos anos. Neste trabalho foram caracterizados isolados de Salmonella envolvidas em salmoneloses ocorridas no RS, no período de 2007 a 2013. Entre os 163 isolados investigados, 138 (84,7%) foram sorotipificados com S. Enteritidis, enquanto os outros isolados foram S. Schwarzengrund (n = 9 – 5,5 %), S. Typhimurium (n = 6 – 3,7%), S. Infantis (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. Agona (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. Derby (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. London (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. Give (n = 1 – 0,6 %), S. Panama (n = 1 – 0,6 %) e S. enterica (n = 4 – 2,5 %). Os principais alimentos envolvidos nos surtos foram maionese caseira (17,39%), seguido dos produtos de confeitaria (15,94 %) e carnes (12,32 %). A resistência da S. Enteritidis a 12 agentes antimicrobianos também foi investigada. As maiores porcentagens de resistência foram encontradas em relação à nitrofurantoína (94,2 %) e ao ácido nalidíxico (89,1 %). A resistência para duas drogas foi verificada em 80,43 % dos isolados. Sendo que a multirresistência para três ou cinco antimicrobianos foi verificada em quatro e dois isolados, respectivamente. Quando os isolados foram submetidos à PCR-Ribotipificação, apenas um perfil de bandas foi identificado. Os resultados de PCR-Ribotipificação sugerem que uma mesma cepa de S. Enteritidis foi isolada a partir de alimentos envolvidos em salmoneloses ocorridas em diferentes municípios do Estado do RS no período de 2007 a 2013. Uma vez que o mesmo perfil de bandas foi identificado em S. Enteritidis causadoras de salmoneloses, durante 1999 a 2006, os resultados indicam que a mesma cepa de S. Enteritidis tem causado surtos alimentares no RS, durante o período de 1999 a 2013. / Salmonella is a major cause of Foodborne Diseases worldwide, and in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) this microorganism has been identified as the main agent of foodborne diseases in last years. In this work, Salmonella isolates responsible for salmonellosis occurred in the State of RS, in the period 2007 to 2013 were characterized. Among the 163 isolates investigated, 138 (84.7 %) were serotyped as S. Enteritidis, whereas the other isolates were S. Schwarzengrund (n = 9 – 5.5 %), S. Typhimurium (n = 6 – 3.7 %), S. Infantis (n = 1 – 0.6 %), S. Agona (n = 1 – 0.6 %), S. Derby (n = 1 – 0.6%), S. London (n = 1 – 0.6 %), S. Give (n = 1 – 0.6 %), S. Panama (n = 1 – 0.6 %) and S. enterica (n = 4 – 2.5 %). The main food vehicles identified were homemade mayonnaise (17.39 %), followed by pastry products (15.94 %) and beef (12.32 %). The S. Enteritidis resistance to 12 antimicrobial agents was investigated. The highest percentages of resistance were found to nitrofurantoin (94.2 %) and nalidixic acid (89.1 %). The resistance to two different drugs was observed in 80.43 % of the isolates. Multidrug-resistance for three to five antimicrobials was observed in four and two isolates, respectively. When the isolates were analysed by PCR-Ribotyping, only one banding profile was identified. The results of PCR-Ribotyping suggest that the same strain of S. Enteritidis was isolated from foods involved in salmonelloses occurred in different municipalities of the State of RS in the period 2007-2013. Since the same banding pattern was found in strains involved in salmonellosis outbreaks of 1999 to 2006, results indicated that the same strain of S. Enteritidis has caused salmonellosis outbreaks in RS, during the period of 1999 to 2013.