Root mediated uptake of Salmonella is different from phyto-pathogen and associated with the colonization of edible organs

Abstract

Pre-harvest contamination of fruits and vegetables by Salmonella in fields is one of the causes of food-borne outbreaks. Natural openings like stomata, hydathodes and fruit cracks are known to serve as entry points. While there are reports indicating that Salmonella colonize and enter root through lateral root emerging area, further investigations regarding how the accessibility of Salmonella to lateral root is different from phyto-pathogenic bacteria, the efficacy of lateral root to facilitate entry have remained unexplored. In this study we attempted to investigate the lateral root mediated entry of Salmonella, and to bridge this gap in knowledge.