Contribution of fimbrial operons to attachment to and invasion of epithelial cell lines by Salmonella typhimurium

Abstract

The role of the Salmonella typhimurium fimbrial operons, lpf, fim, and pef, in adhesion to and invasion of epithelial cell lines was investigated. An S. typhimurium lpfC mutant was unable to adhere to or to invade HEp-2 cells, while an S. typhimurium fim deletion mutant did not attach to or enter HeLa cells. These results suggest that adhesion is a prerequisite for invasion and that distinct fimbrial adhesins select different target cells for invasion by S. typhimurium.