Running header: MICROORGANISM SALMONELLA ENTERICA

Salmonella enterica: A common, yet harmful pathogenic microorganism.

Ashley Hillyer

Florida State College at Jacksonville

MCB 2010C

Dr. Dianne Fair

October 22nd, 2019

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Introduction

Since the late 1800s Salmonella enterica has been making people ill worldwide.

Salmonella is a sickness due to contaminated food, contaminated water, or consuming certain

raw food products. Salmonella enterica can also be contracted from handling raw material such

manure when farming. Salmonella enterica is indeed pathogenic, which means it causes people

sickness. Throughout this research paper the biological, pathogenic and ecological aspects of the

microorganism Salmonella enterica will be identified and adequately explained. Salmonella

enterica is a recurring issue causing food poisoning in humans. Although over the last 100 or so

years, we have made improvements on how to handle and prevent the illness, the microorganism

is still present and still commonly results in disease. Researching and better understanding the

specific microorganism itself has led to many improvements in containment of the

microorganism, modern medicine has drastically reduced the number of deaths caused by

Salmonella enterica. Hopefully further research will lead to better, more efficient improvements

in containing and reducing the chances of this disease. Since this bacterium is quite common,

advancements in treatment should come in the near future.

The Biological Aspect

The first aspect of this microorganism that is going to be explained is the biological

aspect. This includes typical descriptions of the microorganism, some specific structures it

possesses, how it lives, and how it maintains itself through its life processes. The Salmonella

enterica microorganism is a prokaryotic, gram negative, and pink-stained bacterium. This means

the microorganism does not contain a nucleus and has little peptidoglycan in its cell membrane.

This microorganism is rod-shaped and possesses simple flagellum made of the protein flagellin

(MCB 2010 Class notes, 2019). Specifically, this microorganism processes around 6-10 flagella
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that surround its outside. These flagella help aid the microorganism in movement throughout its

environment and actually aides in allowing it to stay away from antibiotics, making it a more

resistant type of bacterium (Bonifield & Hughes, 2003). In addition to this characteristic, as

mentioned before, the Salmonella enterica microorganism is a gram-negative microorganism.

These types of microorganisms have specific features unique to their cell type. These unique

features include but are not limited to: that they have very little to no peptidoglycan in their cell

membrane, their outer membrane contains lipopolysaccharide, they can survive in harsh

conditions, and most of them have pili on the surface of the cell envelopes (Salton & Kim, 1996).

The presence of peptidoglycan in a cell membrane determines and maintains the shape of the

overall cell. Looking back through our class notes, I recall that being a gram-negative bacterium,

with little peptidoglycan, causes the bacteria to be squishy and slimy which would help aid in the

overall rod-shaped appearance of the Salmonella enterica microorganism (MCB 2010 Class

notes, 2019). This unique appearance also aides in the adhesive process of the microorganism

sticking to the cells it wants to invade therefore, increasing its pathogenic abilities. Another

unique feature gram-negative bacteria possess is the presence of lipopolysaccharide in their cell

envelope. The presence of this aides the bacterium in infecting the host cell and protecting the

bacterium itself. The LPS triggers an immune response from the infected host therefore causing

illness and in addition blocks almost all parts of the bacterium making it more resistant and less

likely to be able to be killed allowing it to infect the host even further (Bruslind, n.d.). Another

advantage this microorganism exhibits is the presence of pili on its surface. The pili help with the

adhesive process when the bacterium is in the process of infecting its host (Althouse, Isaacson,

Patterson, & Cray, 2003). As far as how the Salmonella enterica microorganism maintains its

life processes, it does it through both anaerobic and aerobic respiration depending on oxygen
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available (Cox, 2013). This microorganism also uses hydrogen, in addition to carbon, as a major

source of energy in its cell processes according to a new study (Maier, Olczak, Soni, & Gunn,

2004).

The Pathogenic Aspect

The second aspect of the microorganism Salmonella enterica that is going to be

explained is the pathogenic aspect, or how the microorganism causes disease. Salmonella

enterica is a foodborne illness that can be contracted through eating contaminated foods and

drinking contaminated water. Salmonella enterica can cause many diseases but the most

common disease includes symptoms such as: fever, upset stomach, irritable bowel movements,

vomiting, etc. This infection can last up to a week unless the infection spreads. Among a group

of people, a young child, an older person, or a person with a weakened immune system would be

more susceptible to contracting the disease than a regular healthy person would (Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). The Salmonella enterica microorganism is a strategic

pathogenic microorganism. This microorganism has a large genome which allows it to be able to

survive in harsh conditions and also be less resistant to antibiotics trying to destroy it. This

microorganism is also deemed mesophilic which means it can survive in extreme conditions, hot

or cold (Andino & Hanning, 2015). This means the Salmonella enterica microorganism can live

basically anywhere without a problem, especially in the human body. This microorganism also

has the ability to survive in very acidic environments, like for instance the human intestine

(Andino & Hanning, 2015).

The Invasion Process

The Salmonella enterica microorganism starts its invasion into healthy host cells by

invading epithelial cells in the intestinal tract after colonizing in the intestinal lumen before the
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invasion process begins. After invading the cell, the microorganism sends signals to stop

inflammatory responses throughout the body so it can sit and replicate over time before it

eventually shows its symptoms, causing illness. The survival of the bacteria depends on the

immune system response from the host and the conditions in which the bacteria are living (Llyas,

Tsai, & Coombes, 2017).

Treatment

Treatments for diseases caused by the microorganism Salmonella enterica include: bed

rest, antibiotics, intravenous fluids and nutrients, and in extreme cases even hospitalization. Most

commonly though, most people fight off the infection themselves with the help of their immune

system and there is no need for extra support unless they want to relieve the symptoms of the

infection. Antibiotics are only used when the bacteria have gotten into the host’s blood stream, is

spreading throughout the body, and is affecting other organ systems, otherwise they are typicaly

not needed. If the infection becomes this bad and is not treated it could lead to other

complications and even become fatal. Throughout having the infection, lots of water and even

vitamins should be consumed; this also helps relieve certain symptoms (Cleveland Clinic, 2019).

Most people believe that Salmonella can be fatal but the chances of that happening is very rare.

With the modern improvements in medicine, fighting off the infection is drastically easier and

more efficient than before. In developing countries, containing and treating Salmonella infection

is more complex and because of this the fatality rate increases.

The Ecological Aspect

We all know that we can contract the Salmonella enterica infection, Salmonellosis, from

consuming raw foods but the environment in which this bacterium can survive is huge. Having a

large genome and about 2,000 different serotypes allows for the environment of this bacterium to
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have a lot of variety (Cornell University, 1997). Of these 2,000 species, most subspecies are also

found in waste products such as urine, feces, and blood (MSDS Online, n.d). Salmonella bacteria

thrive in wet and slightly acidic environments, mainly the intestinal tracts of humans, birds,

various animals and occasionally reptiles and insects (Andino & Hanning, 2015). Their

environments usually range from a pH range of 4-8 (Cornell University, 1997). The Salmonella

enterica bacterium is also classified as being a facultative anaerobic microorganism (Andino &

Hanning, 2015). Being a facultative anaerobe means that the microorganism can live with and

without oxygen, (MCB 2010 Class notes, 2019), making the Salmonella enterica bacterium

suitable for most environments. Although we have millions of cases of the Salmonella infection

happening each year in the United States, they are most common throughout Europe (Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, 2006).

Conclusion

With advancements in medicine, we have already made improvements in preventing and

treating the Salmonella enterica bacterial infection if it is contracted. In the future to prevent

more cases of this disease we should place a significant emphasis on making sure the food we

prepare and consume is thoroughly cooked since consuming raw foods is the most common way

this bacterium is contracted and causes disease. Perhaps boiling water and coming up with better

ways to efficiently decontaminate water would drastically reduce the chance of contracting the

infection as well since it can be transferred through consuming contaminated water. Although the

infection caused by Salmonella enterica is one of the most common foodborne illnesses in the

nation, research has been conducted to discover its aspects. All of this current research and

research that will be conducted in the future will surely lead to advancements in fighting off
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numerous infections. Advancements in new antibiotics and other treatments will be an

improvement for everyone.

References

Althouse, C., Patterson, S., Fedorka-Cray, P., & Isaacson, R. E. (2003, November). Type 1

fimbriae of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium bind to enterocytes and contribute

to colonization of swine in vivo. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC219564/.

Andino, A., & Hanning, I. (2015, January 13). Salmonella enterica: survival, colonization, and

virulence differences among serovars. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4310208/.

Bonifield, H. R., & Hughes, K. T. (2003, June). Flagellar phase variation in Salmonella enterica

is mediated by a posttranscriptional control mechanism. Retrieved October 20, 2019,

from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC156219/.

Cox, L. (2013, May 30). Salmonella's Secret: A Chemical That Isn't Only in Corpses. Retrieved

from https://www.livescience.com/34975-salmonella-infection-inflammation-

contamination-100922.html.
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Fair, Dianne. MCB 2010 Class notes. 2019 Fall Semester. FSCJ.

Ilyas, B., Tsai, C. N., & Coombes, B. K. (2017, September 29). Evolution of Salmonella-Host

Cell Interactions through a Dynamic Bacterial Genome. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5626846/.

Maier, R. J., Olczak, A., Maier, S., Soni, S., & Gunn, J. (2004, November). Respiratory

hydrogen use by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is essential for virulence.

Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC523013/.

Questions and Answers | Salmonella | CDC. (2019, February 8). Retrieved from

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Salmonella. (2010, August 6). Retrieved from

https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Salmonella.

Salmonella Management and Treatment. (2019, January 17). Retrieved from

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15697-salmonella/management-and-

treatment.
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Salmonella enterica spp (formerly Salmonella choleraesuis). (2010). Retrieved from

https://www.msdsonline.com/resources/sds-resources/free-safety-data-sheet-

index/salmonella-enterica-spp/.

Salmonellosis (Public Health Concerns for the Farm Family and Staff). (1997, December 1).

Retrieved from https://news.cornell.edu/stories/1997/12/salmonella-fact-sheet.

Salton, M. R. J., & Kim, K.-S. (1996, January 1). Structure. Retrieved from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8477/.

Web-based Surveillance and Global Salmonella Distribution, 2000–2002 - Volume 12, Number

3-March 2006 - Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC. (2006, March). Retrieved

from https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/12/3/05-0854_article.