Phenotypic Behavior of 35 Salmonella Enterica Serovars Compared to Epidemiological and Genomic Data

The behavior of 35 different Salmonella enterica serovars was investigated in an in vitro gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) system. Virulence was expressed as the probability of infection, P(inf), i.e. fraction of the ON-culture invading into Caco-2 cells after GIT passage. Results show that the (average) P(inf) of Salmonella serovars ranges from 1.7 10-8 (S.Kedougou) to 5.3 10-5 (S.Typhimurium). In general, the P(inf) corresponds to available epidemiological and virulotypic data from literature. Still, individual exceptions exist and it is hypothesized that the public health risk from Salmonella is associated with exposure (prevalence, dose and/or acquired immunity) rather than difference in virulence.