Two Salmonella Genomes Mapped

NEW YORK-Salmonellosis, a bacterial infection caused by salmonella, can haunt everyone from an infection control practitioner trying to pinpoint an outbreak to a restaurant owner trying to eliminate potential food poisoning disaster. New research has mapped two genomes of this bacterial family, giving scientists new information in their hunt for the latest antibiotics.

S. typhi CT18, which is resistant to multiple antibiotics, has been decoded by researchers at The Sanger Center in Cambridge, UK. The team uncovered more than 200 pseudogenes, which are genes that have lost their ability to function. This discovery has led researchers to believe that there are no natural animal reservoirs for the strain of typhoid. Therefore, the chances it can be eradicated are high.

However, because this strain is highly resistant, there is also a strong possibility that future outbreaks of typhoid may be devastating and untreatable.

The second strain recently decoded by scientists at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in San Diego, Calif. is S. typhimurium LT2. This strain is one of the leading causes of gastroenteritis. More than 50 genes were found that researchers think are exported to the periplasm. These genes now can be possibly developed into vaccines that specifically target both this outer layer and the sickness.

The research from both groups has been placed on the web so other scientists can use it to possibly develop both vaccines and therapeutic treatments to fight these specific strains of salmonella.

Information from www.givenimaging.com, www.cdc.gov, Reuters Health