This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Germanier, R. Articles by Fürer, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Germanier, R. Articles by Fürer, E.

Immunity in Experimental Salmonellosis II. Basis for the Avirulence and Protective Capacity of gal E Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium

Swiss Serum and Vaccine Institute, Berne, Switzerland

ABSTRACT

Salmonella typhimurium strains which are deficient in uridine diphosphate (UDP)-galactose-4-epimerase (gal E mutants) owe their outstanding protective capacity when used as live vaccine to the fact that when galactose is supplied exogenously, such as occurs in vivo, smooth cell wall lipopolysaccharides are synthesized. The mutants lose most of their protective capacity when this phenotypic curing is prevented by a second mutation of the kind found in strains LT₂M₁A (deficient in galactokinase) or E₃₂ (deficient in UDP-galactose-lipopolysaccharide transferase). Despite such phenotypic reversion, the gal E mutants are rendered avirulent as a result of galactose-induced bacteriolysis. Secondary mutants have been isolated which differ from each other with respect to the extent of galactose-induced lysis. The differences in galactose sensitivity are attributable to different activities of the other Leoloir pathway enzymes, namely, galactokinase and galactose-1-phosphate-uridyl transferase. The influence of these enzymes on lipopolysaccharide composition and galactose sensitivity and thus on virulence and immunogenicity of gal E mutants has been studied.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Kennedy, M. J., Yancey, R. J. Jr., Sanchez, M. S., Rzepkowski, R. A., Kelly, S. M., Curtiss, R. III (1999). Attenuation and Immunogenicity of Delta cya Delta crp Derivatives of Salmonella choleraesuis in Pigs. Infect. Immun. 67: 4628-4636 [Abstract] [Full Text]