Mechanisms adopted by Salmonella to colonize plant hosts

Abstract

Fruits and vegetables consumed fresh or as minimally-processed produce, have multiple benefits for our diet. Unfortunately, they bring a risk of food-borne diseases, for example salmonellosis. Interactions between Salmonella and crop plants are indeed a raising concern for the global health. Salmonella uses multiple strategies to manipulate the host defense system, including plant's defense responses. The main focus of this review are strategies used by this bacterium during the interaction with crop plants. Emphasis was put on how Salmonella avoids the plant defense responses and successfully colonizes plants. In addition, several factors were reviewed assessing their impact on Salmonella persistence and physiological adaptation to plants and plant-related environment. The understanding of those mechanisms, their regulation and use by the pathogen, while in contact with plants, has significant implication on the growth, harvest and processing steps in plant production system. Consequently, it requires both the authorities and science to advance and definite methods aiming at prevention of crop plants contamination. Thus, minimizing and/or eliminating the potential of human diseases.

Keywords: Adaptation strategy; Avoidance strategy; Effector proteins; Salmonella; Suppression strategy; T3SS.