Scientists identify ‘hypervirulent’ salmonella strains

Scientists from around the world, including researchers at UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), have found a way to potentially prevent food poisoning outbreaks by identifying ‘hypervirulent’ strains of salmonella,  the most common cause of infection, hospitalization and death due to foodborne illness in the United States. They conducted a global search for these strains, which were found among isolates derived from livestock, and rendered current vaccines obsolete. These strains of bacteria are tricky because they act as a Trojan horse, appearing to be like their less virulent cousins until they are in the midst of an infection. “The trick was to assess their virulence during infection -- before they switch back to a less-virulent state in the lab," Michael Mahan, a UCSB professor who worked on the study, said. Now that researchers know what to look for, they are developing methods to rapidly detect and isolate the hypervirulent strains.