Genetic Manipulation of Pathogenicity Loci in Non-Typhimurium Salmonella

Abstract

The traditional genetic tools used in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium rely heavily on a high-transducing mutant of bacteriophage P22. P22 recognizes its hosts by the structure of their O-antigens, which vary among serovars of Salmonella; therefore, it cannot be used in most non-Typhimurium Salmonella, including the majority of those causing food-borne illnesses in both humans and livestock. Bacteriophage P1 infects a variety of enteric bacteria, including galE mutants of serovar Typhimurium; however, the degree to which the presence of coimmune prophages, the lack of required attachment sites or the lack of host factors act as barriers to using phage P1 in natural isolates of Salmonella is unknown. Here, we show that recombineering can be used to make virtually any serovar of Salmonella susceptible to P1 infection; as a result, P1 can be utilized for facile genetic manipulation of non-Typhimurium Salmonella, including movement of very large pathogenicity islands. A toolkit for easy manipulation of non-Typhimurium serovars of Salmonella is described.