Location: Food Safety and Enteric Pathogens Research
Project Number: 5030-32000-225-030-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Mar 1, 2023
End Date: Nov 30, 2024
Objective:
The objectives of the proposed research are 1) identify the cell types harboring Salmonella in pig lymphoid and adipose tissue at various stages of colonization and 2) perform spatial transcriptomics and single-cell RNA-sequencing of Salmonella-positive lymphoid and/or adipose tissues to deeply characterize the cellular response and identify mechanisms of intracellular colonization.
Approach:
Pigs will be inoculated with a contemporary foodborne isolate of Salmonella enterica and subsequently euthanized for isolation of ileum (Peyers patch), ileo-cecal lymph node, mesenteric lymph node, mesenteric fat, and palatine tonsil. Tissues will be collected for Salmonella enumeration, in situ identification of cells harboring Salmonella, spatial transcriptomics, and single-cell RNA sequencing. Necropsy timepoints will include 1-, 2-, 5-, 8-, 14- and 28-days post-inoculation. Feces and cecal contents will also be collected for Salmonella enumeration.
