Metabolism of Intracellular Salmonella Enterica

Abstract

Salmonella enterica is an important human food-borne pathogen that initially enters the lumen of the intestinal tract. The bacteria are invasive, facultative intracellular pathogens that survive and replicate in a unique membrane compartment, termed Salmonella-containing vacuole or SCV. S. Enterica is a metabolic generalist that is equipped with a broad repertoire of metabolic pathways for utilization of various carbon and energy sources. In the last years, there was a remarkable increase in understanding of the cellular microbiology of Salmonella infections and the molecular functions of virulence factors required for intracellular life, but the nutritional basis of life of Salmonella within the SCV is still not completely understood. How Salmonella gets access to nutrients could open new avenues to therapeutic interference with Salmonella infections. The redirection of host cell endosomal transport may be one means of accessing host-derived nutrient for growth in the SCV. This chapter provides an overview of recent research on metabolism of intracellular Salmonella. We also compare the metabolic adaption of S. Enterica to other important gastrointestinal or intracellular pathogens. © 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. All rights reserved.