Metabolic Analysis of Intracellular Pathogenic Bacteria Using NMR.

Pathogen proliferation and virulence depend on available nutrients, and these vary when the pathogen moves from outside of the host cell (extracellular) to the inside of the host cell (intracellular). Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) is a versatile analytical method, which lends itself for metabolic studies. In this chapter, we describe how 1H NMR can be combined with a cellular infection model to study the metabolic crosstalk between a bacterial pathogen and its host both in the extracellular and intracellular compartments. Central carbon metabolism is highlighted by using glucose labeled with the stable isotope 13C.

Visualizing Metabolism in Biotechnologically Important Yeasts with dDNP NMR Reveals Evolutionary Strategies and Glycolytic Logic.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has long been a pillar of biotechnological production and basic research. More recently, strides to exploit the functional repertoire of nonconventional yeasts for biotechnological production have been made. Genomes and genetic tools for these yeasts are not always available, and yeast genomics alone may be insufficient to determine the functional features in yeast metabolism. Hence, functional assays of metabolism, ideally in the living cell, are best suited to characterize the cellular biochemistry of such yeasts. Advanced in cell NMR methods can allow the direct observation of carbohydrate influx into central metabolism on a seconds time scale: dDNP NMR spectroscopy temporarily enhances the nuclear spin polarization of substrates by more than 4 orders of magnitude prior to functional assays probing central metabolism. We use various dDNP enhanced carbohydrates for in-cell NMR to compare the metabolism of S. cerevisiae and nonconventional yeasts, with an emphasis on the wine yeast Hanseniaspora uvarum. In-cell observations indicated more rapid exhaustion of free cytosolic NAD+ in H. uvarum and alternative routes for pyruvate conversion, in particular, rapid amination to alanine. In-cell observations indicated that S. cerevisiae outcompetes other biotechnologically relevant yeasts by rapid ethanol formation due to the efficient adaptation of cofactor pools and the removal of competing reactions from the cytosol. By contrast, other yeasts were better poised to use redox neutral processes that avoided CO2-emission. Beyond visualizing the different cellular strategies for arriving at redox neutral end points, in-cell dDNP NMR probing showed that glycolytic logic is more conserved: nontoxic precursors of cellular building blocks formed high-population intermediates in the influx of glucose into the central metabolism of eight different biotechnologically important yeasts. Unsupervised clustering validated that the observation of rapid intracellular chemistry is a viable means to functionally classify biotechnologically important organisms.

Rapid probing of glucose influx into cancer cell metabolism: using adjuvant and a pH-dependent collection of central metabolites to improve in-cell D-DNP NMR.

Changes to metabolism are a hallmark of many diseases. Disease metabolism under physiological conditions can be probed in real time with in-cell NMR assays. Here, we pursued a systematic approach towards improved in-cell NMR assays. Unambiguous identifications of metabolites and of intracellular pH are afforded by a comprehensive, downloadable collection of spectral data for central carbon metabolites in the physiological pH range (4.0-8.0). Chemical shifts of glycolytic intermediates provide unique pH dependent patterns akin to a barcode. Using hyperpolarized 13C1 enriched glucose as the probe molecule of central metabolism in cancer, we find that early glycolytic intermediates are detectable in PC-3 prostate cancer cell lines, concurrently yielding intracellular pH. Using non-enriched and non-enhanced pyruvate as an adjuvant, reactions of the pentose phosphate pathway become additionally detectable, without significant changes to the barriers in upper glycolysis and to intracellular pH. The scope of tracers for in-cell observations can thus be improved by the presence of adjuvants, showing that a recently proposed effect of pyruvate in the tumor environment is paralleled by a rerouting of cancer cell metabolism towards producing building blocks for proliferation. Overall, the combined use of reference data for compound identification, site specific labelling for reducing overlap, and use of adjuvant afford increasingly detailed insight into disease metabolism.

Formate Metabolism in Shigella flexneri and Its Effect on HeLa Cells at Different Stages during the Infectious Process.

Shigellosis caused by Shigella is one of the most important foodborne illnesses in global health, but little is known about the metabolic cross talk between this bacterial pathogen and its host cells during the different stages of the infection process. A detailed understanding of the metabolism can potentially lead to new drug targets remedying the pressing problem of antibiotic resistance. Here, we use stable isotope-resolved metabolomics as an unbiased and fast method to investigate how Shigella metabolizes 13C-glucose in three different environments: inside the host cells, adhering to the host cells, and alone in suspension. We find that especially formate metabolism by bacteria is sensitive to these different environments. The role of formate in pathogen metabolism is sparsely described in the literature compared to the roles of acetate and butyrate. However, its metabolic pathway is regarded as a potential drug target due to its production in microorganisms and its absence in humans. Our study provides new knowledge about the regulatory effect of formate. Bacterial metabolism of formate is pH dependent when studied alone in culture medium, whereas this effect is less pronounced when the bacteria adhere to the host cells. Once the bacteria are inside the host cells, we find that formate accumulation is reduced. Formate also affects the host cells resulting in a reduced infection rate. This was correlated to an increased immune response. Thus, intriguingly formate plays a double role in pathogenesis by increasing the virulence of Shigella and at the same time stimulating the immune response of the host. IMPORTANCE Bacterial infection is a pressing societal concern due to development of resistance toward known antibiotics. Central carbon metabolism has been suggested as a potential new target for drug development, but metabolic changes upon infection remain incompletely understood. Here, we used a cellular infection model to study how the bacterial pathogen Shigella adapts its metabolism depending on the environment starting from the extracellular medium until Shigella successfully invaded and proliferated inside host cells. The mixed-acid fermentation of Shigella was the major metabolic pathway during the infectious process, and the glucose-derived metabolite formate surprisingly played a divergent role in the pathogen and in the host cell. Our data show reduced infection rate when both host cells and bacteria were treated with formate, which correlated with an upregulated immune response in the host cells. The formate metabolism in Shigella thus potentially provides a route toward alternative treatment strategies for Shigella prevention.

Genotypic Diversity of Ciprofloxacin Nonsusceptibility and Its Relationship with Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations in Nontyphoidal Salmonella Clinical Isolates in Taiwan.

This study analyzed the genetic diversity of ciprofloxacin (CIP) nonsusceptibility and the relationship between two major mechanisms and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of CIP in nontyphoidal Salmonella (NTS). Chromosomal mutations in quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes were searched from ResFinder, ARG-ANNOT, and PubMed for designing the sequencing regions in gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE, and the 13 polymerase chain reactions for PMQR genes. We found that QRDR mutations were detected in gyrA (82.1%), parC (59.0%), and parE (20.5%) but not in gyrB among the 39 isolates. Five of the 13 PMQR genes were identified, including oqxA (28.2%), oqxB (28.2%), qnrS (18.0%), aac(6')-Ib-cr (10.3%), and qnrB (5.1%), which correlated with the MICs of CIP within 0.25-2 µg/mL, and it was found that oxqAB contributed more than qnr genes to increase the MICs. All the isolates contained either QRDR mutations (53.8%), PMQR genes (15.4%), or both (30.8%). QRDR mutations (84.6%) were more commonly detected than PMQR genes (46.2%). QRDR mutation numbers were significantly associated with MICs (p < 0.001). Double mutations in gyrA and parC determined high CIP resistance (MICs ≥ 4 µg/mL). PMQR genes contributed to intermediate to low CIP resistance (MICs 0.25-2 µg/mL), thus providing insights into mechanisms underlying CIP resistance.

Role of wzxE in Salmonella Typhimurium lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis and interleukin-8 secretion regulation in human intestinal epithelial cells.

In Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) anchored on the bacterial outer membrane is a major immune stimulus that can broadly activate immune cells and induce innate immune responses. wzxE is involved in bacterial LPS biosynthesis but has rarely been reported in Salmonella; wzxE encodes a flipase that can flip the precursor of LPS across the membrane into the periplasm space. Our preliminary data showed that the wzxE transposon mutant of S. Typhimurium could not significantly adhere to and invade into HEp-2 cells, but the mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we infected human LS174T, Caco-2, HeLa, and THP-1 cells with the wild-type S. Typhimurium strain SL1344, its wzxE mutant, and its complemented strain. wzxE depletion significantly attenuated bacterial adhesion and internalization in the four cell types. In addition, the postinfectious production of interleukin-8 (IL-8) was significantly decreased in the Caco-2 cells infected with the wzxE mutant. Bacterial LPS stained with polymyxin B probe also exhibited a reduced signal in the wzxE mutant. The silver staining of purified LPS demonstrated a significant reduction of the O-antigen (OAg) chain in the wzxE mutant. To confirm the role of OAg in the wzxE mutant during infection, we treated the HT-29 cells with the S. Typhimurium strain SL1344, its wzxE mutant, and their purified LPS, which revealed significantly decreased IL-8 secretion in the HT-29 cells treated with purified LPS from the wzxE mutant and with the wzxE mutant. In conclusion, wzxE mediates LPS biosynthesis and plays a major role in bacterial pathogenesis by regulating OAg flipping.

speG Is Required for Intracellular Replication of Salmonella in Various Human Cells and Affects Its Polyamine Metabolism and Global Transcriptomes.

The speG gene has been reported to regulate polyamine metabolism in Escherichia coli and Shigella, but its role in Salmonella remains unknown. Our preliminary studies have revealed that speG widely affects the transcriptomes of infected in vitro M and Caco-2 cells and that it is required for the intracellular replication of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) in HeLa cells. In this study, we demonstrated that speG plays a time-dependent and cell type-independent role in the intracellular replication of S. Typhimurium. Moreover, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of four major polyamines demonstrated putrescine, spermine, and cadaverine as the leading polyamines in S. Typhimurium. The deletion of speG significantly increased the levels of the three polyamines in intracellular S. Typhimurium, suggesting the inhibitory effect of speG on the biosynthesis of these polyamines. The deletion of speG was associated with elevated levels of these polyamines in the attenuated intracellular replication of S. Typhimurium in host cells. This result was subsequently validated by the dose-dependent suppression of intracellular proliferation after the addition of the polyamines. Furthermore, our RNA transcriptome analysis of S. Typhimurium SL1344 and its speG mutant outside and inside Caco-2 cells revealed that speG regulates the genes associated with flagellar biosynthesis, fimbrial expression, and functions of types III and I secretion systems. speG also affects the expression of genes that have been rarely reported to correlate with polyamine metabolism in Salmonella, including those associated with the periplasmic nitrate reductase system, glucarate metabolism, the phosphotransferase system, cytochromes, and the succinate reductase complex in S. Typhimurium in the mid-log growth phase, as well as those in the ilv-leu and histidine biosynthesis operons of intracellular S. Typhimurium after invasion in Caco-2 cells. In the present study, we characterized the phenotypes and transcriptome effects of speG in S. Typhimurium and reviewed the relevant literature to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the potential role of speG in the polyamine metabolism and virulence regulation of Salmonella.

Role of yqiC in the Pathogenicity of Salmonella and Innate Immune Responses of Human Intestinal Epithelium.

The yqiC gene of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) regulates bacterial growth at different temperatures and mice survival after infection. However, the role of yqiC in bacterial colonization and host immunity remains unknown. We infected human LS174T, Caco-2, HeLa, and THP-1 cells with S. Typhimurium wild-type SL1344, its yqiC mutant, and its complemented strain. Bacterial colonization and internalization in the four cell lines significantly reduced on yqiC depletion. Post-infection production of interleukin-8 and human ß-defensin-3 in LS174T cells significantly reduced because of yqiC deleted in S. Typhimurium. The phenotype of yqiC mutant exhibited few and short flagella, fimbriae on the cell surface, enhanced biofilm formation, upregulated type-1 fimbriae expression, and reduced bacterial motility. Type-1 fimbriae, flagella, SPI-1, and SPI-2 gene expression was quantified using real-time PCR. The data show that deletion of yqiC upregulated fimA and fimZ expression and downregulated flhD, fliZ, invA, and sseB expression. Furthermore, thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography revealed the absence of menaquinone in the yqiC mutant, thus validating the importance of yqiC in the bacterial electron transport chain. Therefore, YqiC can negatively regulate FimZ for type-1 fimbriae expression and manipulate the functions of its downstream virulence factors including flagella, SPI-1, and SPI-2 effectors.

Impacts of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium and Its speG Gene on the Transcriptomes of In Vitro M Cells and Caco-2 Cells.

Microfold or membranous (M) cells are specialized intestinal epithelial cells responsible for host immunity. The speG mutant of Salmonella Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is a nonreplicating strain within human cells to be a candidate vaccine vector for interacting with M cells. We conducted this study to identify the genes are differently expressed between in vitro M cells and Caco-2 cells, and to determine whether S. Typhimurium and speG affect the transcriptomes of both cell types. In vitro M cells and Caco-2 cells were infected with wild-type (WT) S. Typhimurium, its ΔspeG mutant, or none for 1 h for RNA microarrays; the transcriptomes among the 6 pools were pairwisely compared. Genetic loci encoding scaffold (e.g., HSCHR7_CTG4_4, HSCHR9_CTG9_35), long noncoding RNA, membrane-associated protein (PITPNB), neuron-related proteins (OR8D1, OR10G9, and NTNG2), and transporter proteins (MICU2 and SLC28A1) were significantly upregulated in uninfected M cells compared with uninfected Caco-2 cells; and their encoding proteins are promising M-cell markers. Significantly upregulated HSCHR7_CTG4_4 of uninfected in vitro M cells were speG-independently downregulated by S. Typhimurium infection that is a remarkable change representing an important but unreported characteristic of M cells. The immune responses of in vitro M cells and Caco-2 cells can differ and reply on speG or not, with speG-dependent regulation of KYL4, SCTR, IL6, TNF, and CELF4 in Caco-2 cells, JUN, KLF6, and KCTD11 in M cells, or speG-independent modulation of ZFP36 in both cells. This study facilitates understanding of the immune responses of in vitro M cells after administering the S. Typhimurium ΔspeG mutant as a future vaccine vector.

FimY of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium functions as a DNA-binding protein and binds the fimZ promoter.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium produces type 1 fimbriae with binding specificity to mannose residues. Elements involved in fimbrial structural biosynthesis, transport, and regulation are encoded by the fim gene cluster. FimZ, FimY, FimW, STM0551, and an arginine transfer RNA (fimU) were previously demonstrated to regulate fimbrial expression. The amino acid sequences of the C-terminal portion of FimY revealed similarity with those of LuxR-like proteins. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that FimY possessed DNA-binding capacity and bound a 605-bp DNA fragment spanning the intergenic region between fimY and fimZ, while a FimY protein harboring a double mutation in the C-terminal helix-turn-helix region containing a glycine (G) to aspartate (D) substitution at residue 189 and isoleucine (I) to lysine (K) substitution at residue 195 lost its ability to bind this DNA fragment. A lux box sequence (5'-TCTGTTATTACATAACAAATACT-3') within the fimZ promoter was required for binding. None of the DNA fragments derived from the promoters for fimA, fimY, or fimW was shifted by FimY. Pull-down assays showed that there were physical protein/protein interactions between FimY and FimZ. We propose that in the regulatory circuit of type 1 fimbriae, FimY functions as a DNA-binding protein to activate fimZ, and a FimY-FimZ protein complex may form to regulate other fim genes. Confirming these proposals requires further study.

A low-pH medium in vitro or the environment within a macrophage decreases the transcriptional levels of fimA, fimZ and lrp in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

Many Salmonella Typhimurium isolates produce type 1 fimbriae and exhibit fimbrial phase variation in vitro. Static broth culture favours the production of fimbriae, while solid agar medium inhibits the generation of these appendages. Little information is available regarding whether S. Typhimurium continues to produce type 1 fimbriae during in vivo growth. We used a type 1 fimbrial phase-variable strain S. Typhimurium LB5010 and its derivatives to infect RAW 264.7 macrophages. Following entry into macrophages, S. Typhimurium LB5010 gradually decreased the transcript levels of fimbrial subunit gene fimA, positive regulatory gene fimZ, and global regulatory gene lrp. A similar decrease in transcript levels was detected by RT-PCRwhen the pH of static brothmediumwas shifted frompH 7 to amore acidic pH 4. A fimA-deleted strain continued to multiply within macrophages as did the parental strain. An lrp deletion strain was unimpaired for in vitro growth at pH 7 or pH 4, while a strain harboring an lrp-containing plasmid exhibited impaired in vitro growth at pH 4. We propose that acidic medium, which resembles one aspect of the intracellular environment in a macrophage, inhibits type 1 fimbrial production by down-regulation of the expression of lrp, fimZ and fimA.

YC-1, a potent antithrombotic agent, induces lipolysis through the PKA pathway in rat visceral fat cells.

This study investigated the effects of 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole (YC-1), a soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) activator and potential antithrombotic agent, on lipolysis in isolated visceral fat cells of the rat. Visceral fat cells were isolated from epididymal fat pads of rats and treated with YC-1 at different doses and times. Glycerol release, and intracellular cAMP and cGMP levels were analyzed by specific kits. Moreover, several inhibitors or drugs were used to examine the signal transduction pathways of YC-1-induced lipolysis in adipocytes. Herein we report that YC-1 stimulated glycerol release in dose- and time-dependent manners. Intracellular cAMP and cGMP levels of adipocytes both increased in time-dependent manners, but elevation of the cGMP level was faster and higher than that of the cAMP level after YC-1 treatment. An sGC inhibitor (ODQ) inhibited YC-1-induced glycerol release, indicating the involvement of sGC in YC-1-induced lipolysis. Administration of insulin, an activator of type-3B phosphodiesterase (PDE-3B), attenuated YC-1-induced lipolysis, indicating that elevation of the cAMP level is an important step in the lipolytic effect of YC-1. In addition, YC-1-induced lipolysis was inhibited by a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor (KT5720) but not by a PKG inhibitor (KT5823), indicating that YC-1-induced lipolysis occurs through a PKA-dependent pathway. A Western blot analysis showed that extracellular signal-regulated kinase was not phosphorylated by YC-1 treatment. In conclusion, our results suggest that YC-1 might stimulate lipolysis via activation of sGC/cGMP and then activation of the cAMP/PKA signaling cascade in isolated rat visceral adipocytes.

A constitutively mannose-sensitive agglutinating Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar typhimurium strain, carrying a transposon in the fimbrial usher gene stbC, exhibits multidrug resistance and flagellated phenotypes.

Static broth culture favors Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium to produce type 1 fimbriae, while solid agar inhibits its expression. A transposon inserted in stbC, which would encode an usher for Stb fimbriae of a non-flagellar Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium LB5010 strain, conferred it to agglutinate yeast cells on both cultures. RT-PCR revealed that the expression of the fimbrial subunit gene fimA, and fimZ, a regulatory gene of fimA, were both increased in the stbC mutant when grown on LB agar; fimW, a repressor gene of fimA, exhibited lower expression. Flagella were observed in the stbC mutant and this phenotype was correlated with the motile phenotype. Microarray data and RT-PCR indicated that the expression of three genes, motA, motB, and cheM, was enhanced in the stbC mutant. The stbC mutant was resistant to several antibiotics, consistent with the finding that expression of yhcQ and ramA was enhanced. A complementation test revealed that transforming a recombinant plasmid possessing the stbC restored the mannose-sensitive agglutination phenotype to the stbC mutant much as that in the parental Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium LB5010 strain, indicating the possibility of an interplay of different fimbrial systems in coordinating their expression.

A previously uncharacterized gene stm0551 plays a repressive role in the regulation of type 1 fimbriae in Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium.

BACKGROUND: Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium produces surface-associated fimbriae that facilitate adherence of the bacteria to a variety of cells and tissues. Type 1 fimbriae with binding specificity to mannose residues are the most commonly found fimbrial type. In vitro, static-broth culture favors the growth of S. Typhimurium with type 1 fimbriae, whereas non-type 1 fimbriate bacteria are obtained by culture on solid-agar media. Previous studies demonstrated that the phenotypic expression of type 1 fimbriae is the result of the interaction and cooperation of the regulatory genes fimZ, fimY, fimW, and fimU within the fim gene cluster. Genome sequencing revealed a novel gene, stm0551, located between fimY and fimW that encodes an 11.4-kDa putative phosphodiesterase specific for the bacterial second messenger cyclic-diguanylate monophosphate (c-di-GMP). The role of stm0551 in the regulation of type 1 fimbriae in S. Typhimurium remains unclear. RESULTS: A stm0551-deleted stain constructed by allelic exchange constitutively produced type 1 fimbriae in both static-broth and solid-agar medium conditions. Quantative RT-PCR revealed that expression of the fimbrial major subunit gene, fimA, and one of the regulatory genes, fimZ, were comparably increased in the stm0551-deleted strain compared with those of the parental strain when grown on the solid-agar medium, a condition that normally inhibits expression of type 1 fimbriae. Following transformation with a plasmid possessing the coding sequence of stm0551, expression of fimA and fimZ decreased in the stm0551 mutant strain in both culture conditions, whereas transformation with the control vector pACYC184 relieved this repression. A purified STM0551 protein exhibited a phosphodiesterase activity in vitro while a point mutation in the putative EAL domain, substituting glutamic acid (E) with alanine (A), of STM0551 or a FimY protein abolished this activity. CONCLUSIONS: The finding that the stm0551 gene plays a negative regulatory role in the regulation of type 1 fimbriae in S. Typhimurium has not been reported previously. The possibility that degradation of c-di-GMP is a key step in the regulation of type 1 fimbriae warrants further investigation.

Identification of the genetic determinants of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium that may regulate the expression of the type 1 fimbriae in response to solid agar and static broth culture conditions.

BACKGROUND: Type 1 fimbriae are the most commonly found fimbrial appendages on the outer membrane of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium. Previous investigations indicate that static broth culture favours S. Typhimurium to produce type 1 fimbriae, while non-fimbriate bacteria are obtained by growth on solid agar media. The phenotypic expression of type 1 fimbriae in S. Typhimurium is the result of the interaction and cooperation of several genes in the fim gene cluster. Other gene products that may also participate in the regulation of type 1 fimbrial expression remain uncharacterized. RESULTS: In the present study, transposon insertion mutagenesis was performed on S. Typhimurium to generate a library to screen for those mutants that would exhibit different type 1 fimbrial phenotypes than the parental strain. Eight-two mutants were obtained from 7,239 clones screened using the yeast agglutination test. Forty-four mutants produced type 1 fimbriae on both solid agar and static broth media, while none of the other 38 mutants formed type 1 fimbriae in either culture condition. The flanking sequences of the transposons from 54 mutants were cloned and sequenced. These mutants can be classified according to the functions or putative functions of the open reading frames disrupted by the transposon. Our current results indicate that the genetic determinants such as those involved in the fimbrial biogenesis and regulation, global regulators, transporter proteins, prophage-derived proteins, and enzymes of different functions, to name a few, may play a role in the regulation of type 1 fimbrial expression in response to solid agar and static broth culture conditions. A complementation test revealed that transforming a recombinant plasmid possessing the coding sequence of a NAD(P)H-flavin reductase gene ubiB restored an ubiB mutant to exhibit the type 1 fimbrial phenotype as its parental strain. CONCLUSION: Genetic determinants other than the fim genes may involve in the regulation of type 1 fimbrial expression in S. Typhimurium. How each gene product may influence type 1 fimbrial expression is an interesting research topic which warrants further investigation.

Primers specific for the fimbrial major subunit gene stdA can be used to detect Salmonella enterica serovars.

The feasibility of using two primers internal to the stdA gene (which encodes the fimbrial major subunit of the std fimbrial gene cluster in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi) to detect Salmonella by PCR was explored. The 518-bp stdA specific sequence was conserved among 268 strains from 45 serovars of S. enterica. One Salmonella bongori CCUG 30042 strain and 34 non-Salmonella strains did not possess this sequence. A sensitivity test revealed that the stdA-specific primer set detected 3.4 x 10(-1) pg of genomic DNA and 3.0 x 10(5) CFU/ml with serial dilutions of Salmonella Typhimurium cells. In vitro testing for specificity using pig carcass sponge samples contaminated with Salmonella Typhimurium also was performed. An initial Salmonella Typhimurium inoculum of 4.4 x 10(1) CFU/ml in pig carcass exudates reached the stdA primer detection level after preenrichment in buffered peptone water at 37 degrees C for 18 h in the presence of indigenous non-Salmonella flora at 4.0 X 10(7) CFU/ml, but the detection level decreased to 4.4 x 10(0) CFU/ml after selective enrichment in Rappaport-Vassiliadis R10 broth for 18 h at 42 degrees C. The PCR method with primers specific for stdA is a quick and sensitive tool for detecting S. enterica, which is an important cause of foodborne disease.