Author
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Guard, Jean |
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Submitted to: United States Animal Health Association Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 11/4/2010 Publication Date: 11/14/2010 Citation: Guard, J.Y. 2010. Evolutionary Trends and Combinatorial Complexity of Salmonella Enteritidis. United States Animal Health Association Proceedings. November 14, 2010, Minneapolis, MN. p. 456. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is currently the world’s leading cause of salmonellosis, in part because of its ability to contaminate the internal contents of eggs produced by otherwise healthy hens. High-density tiling analysis of two PT13a strains that vary in the ability to contaminate eggs and from other genomic studies indicate that S. Enteritidis evolution is driven by variant patterns of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that most often escape detection by commonly used epidemiological methods. To date, 250 sequence-confirmed SNPs have been linked to phenotypes that vary in virulence potential. Patterns of mutation suggest that adaptive radiation rather than randomly occurring genetic drift is driving evolution of S. Enteritidis. The combinatorial complexity present in circulating strains of S. Enteritidis is just now becoming understood. By way of analogy, it appears that we are engaged in a game of poker with a pathogen that deals hands from a deck that is just now being understood. |
