However, this observation was only statistically significant when SPI1 was absent both in the strain that harbored the Δspi2 mutation and the competing strain

(Figure 5A). We have come to this conclusion based on the above observation in addition to the fact that while the Δspi1 is out-competed by the wild type (Figure 2A), the double mutant Δspi1 Δspi2 is not (Figure 4A). We do not know the basis of this disadvantage conferred by the presence of SPI2 in the colonization of chicken cecum by Typhimurium. One explanation is that genes deleted from SPI2 may normally act to repress some factor needed for the colonization of the cecum but in their absence this TEW-7197 concentration factor is not repressed, thus increasing invasion. An alternative explanation may be that the phenotype conferred by the Δspi2 mutation in not decreasing

intestinal colonization results from the absence of SPI1 regulators, such as HilD, that are known to regulate SPI2 genes, including the SsrAB central regulator. PHA-848125 cost Additional investigations are needed to test these hypotheses. In contrast to what we have observed in chickens, SPI2 is the major contributor for spleen colonization in BALB/c mice. The infection by Typhimurium in these two animal models leads to different outcomes. In mice, Typhimurium causes an acute systemic infection, frequently resulting in death, while in one-week or older chickens, the infection leads to heavy colonization of the intestinal track and asymptomatic carriage. It is interesting to note that in animal models where Salmonella infection results in acute systemic disease, SPI2 is a major player in the systemic infection. These include the infection of Rapamycin mice by Typhimurium [12], and the systemic

disease in chickens infected by serovars Pullorum [37] and Gallinarum [38]. In contrast, in animals where infection results in healthy carriage, such as in chickens, SPI2 plays a minor role in the persistence of the bacteria in the systemic compartment. This is demonstrated in the present study, and has been reported for Typhimurium in pigs [39], and for serovar Enteritidis in chicken [40]. This difference in contribution of SPI2 in these two situations indicates that SPI2 is an important factor of Salmonella host OICR-9429 supplier specifiCity. Conclusion We have taken a mixed infection approach to study the role of SPI1 and SPI2 in the colonization of the chicken by Typhimurium. We confirmed the contribution of SPI1 to the colonization of both the cecum and the spleen, and showed that SPI2 is involved in the colonization of the spleen but not of the cecum and, may have a negative effect on cecal colonization. Additionally, we show that SPI1 plays a greater role than SPI2 in the colonization of the spleen in chickens. In contrast, SPI2 is more important than SPI1 for systemic colonization in mice. The approach we used in this study constitutes a sensitive assay that provided new insights into the role of SPI1 and SPI2 during infection.