Studies are in progress to elucidate the genetic basis of tissue tropism and host adaptation. A second project concerns the role of fimbriae and type III secretion systems in diarrheal disease using the calf model. Colonization of murine Peyer's patches by S. enterica . Consecutive stages of Peyer's patch colonization and S. enterica virulence genes required during infection are described in boxes 1 through 6.
Fimbrial filaments originate from the poles of the bacterial cell.
The lpf fimbrial operon mediates adhesion of Salmonella typhimurium to murine Peyer's patches. B umler, A.J. 1997. The record of horizontal gene transfer in Salmonella . Trends in Microbiology. R.M. Tsolis, T.A. Ficht, and L.G. Adams.