This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Brandl, M. T.
Right arrow Articles by Mandrell, R. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Brandl, M. T.
Right arrow Articles by Mandrell, R. E.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Brandl, M. T.
Right arrow Articles by Mandrell, R. E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2005, p. 2653-2662, Vol. 71, No. 5
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.5.2653-2662.2005

Production of Autoinducer 2 in Salmonella enterica Serovar Thompson Contributes to Its Fitness in Chickens but Not on Cilantro Leaf Surfaces

M. T. Brandl,* W. G. Miller, A. H. Bates, and R. E. Mandrell

Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Albany, California 94710

Received 20 July 2004/ Accepted 22 November 2004

Food-borne illness caused by Salmonella enterica has been linked traditionally to poultry products but is associated increasingly with fresh fruits and vegetables. We have investigated the role of the production of autoinducer 2 (AI-2) in the ability of S. enterica serovar Thompson to colonize the chicken intestine and the cilantro phyllosphere. A mutant of S. enterica serovar Thompson that is defective in AI-2 production was constructed by insertional mutagenesis of luxS. The population size of the S. enterica serovar Thompson parental strain was significantly higher than that of its LuxS– mutant in the intestine, spleen, and droppings of chicks 12 days after their oral inoculation with the strains in a ratio of 1:1. In contrast, no significant difference in the population dynamics of the parental and LuxS– strain was observed after their inoculation singly or in mixtures onto cilantro plants. Digital image analysis revealed that 54% of S. enterica serovar Thompson cells were present in large aggregates on cilantro leaves but that the frequency distributions of the size of aggregates formed by the parental strain and the LuxS– mutant were not significantly different. Carbon utilization profiles indicated that the AI-2-producing strain utilized a variety of amino and organic acids more efficiently than its LuxS– mutant but that most sugars were utilized similarly in both strains. Thus, inherent differences in the nutrients available to S. enterica in the phyllosphere and in the chicken intestine may underlie the differential contribution of AI-2 synthesis to the fitness of S. enterica in these environments.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: USDA/ARS, WRRC, Produce Safety and Microbiology Research Unit, 800 Buchanan St., Albany, CA 94710. Phone: (510) 559-5885. Fax: (510) 559-6162. E-mail: mbrandl{at}pw.usda.gov.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 2005, p. 2653-2662, Vol. 71, No. 5
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.5.2653-2662.2005




This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Quinones, B., Miller, W. G., Bates, A. H., Mandrell, R. E. (2009). Autoinducer-2 Production in Campylobacter jejuni Contributes to Chicken Colonization. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 281-285 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Brandl, M. T. (2008). Plant Lesions Promote the Rapid Multiplication of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on Postharvest Lettuce. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 5285-5289 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Brandl, M. T., Amundson, R. (2008). Leaf Age as a Risk Factor in Contamination of Lettuce with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 2298-2306 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gourabathini, P., Brandl, M. T., Redding, K. S., Gunderson, J. H., Berk, S. G. (2008). Interactions between Food-Borne Pathogens and Protozoa Isolated from Lettuce and Spinach. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 2518-2525 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Williams, P., Winzer, K., Chan, W. C, Camara, M. (2007). Look who's talking: communication and quorum sensing in the bacterial world. Phil Trans R Soc B 362: 1119-1134 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Doherty, N., Holden, M. T. G., Qazi, S. N., Williams, P., Winzer, K. (2006). Functional Analysis of luxS in Staphylococcus aureus Reveals a Role in Metabolism but Not Quorum Sensing.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 2885-2897 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»