Chapter 26 - Salmonella biofilm and its importance in the pathogenesis

Abstract

Salmonella, a foodborne pathogen, has several serovars and subspecies that can infect and colonize variable hosts such as animals, plants, and humans. Biofilm is one of the significant attributes of the virulence of many pathogens. The Salmonella species can also form a biofilm, which facilitates their survivability and long-term persistence in harsh environmental conditions and increases the ability to transmit into new hosts. Biofilm communities are encased with a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) composed of cellulose, curli, biofilm-associated protein, and extracellular DNA. Bacterial members of the biofilm resist various antibiotics, disinfectants, detergents, UV radiation and create a significant threat to medical, food, and farming industries. Salmonella biofilm increases the mortality and morbidity rate, chronic infection, and hospitalization rate as they are resistant to various antibiotics and evade the host immune system. This chapter provides an update on the components involved in Salmonella biofilm, its complex regulatory network, and the importance of biofilm in Salmonella pathogenesis. A better understanding of the impact of biofilm in Salmonella virulence will enlighten us and help us reduce the mortality and morbidity rate that occurred by this relapsing bug.