Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis infection is one of the major foodborne illnesses associated with egg, cattle and poultry products.... Show moreSalmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis infection is one of the major foodborne illnesses associated with egg, cattle and poultry products. Genes which are specific to S. Enteritidis may play an important functional role in the pathogens’ ability to survive and persist in these food products, and thus cause human foodborne outbreaks. Acquiring more knowledge on how this bacterium is capable of survival will aid in developing strategies to minimize its existence in the Nation’s food supply. In this study, we constructed S. Enteritidis-specific gene deletion mutants for use in subsequent functional studies. Out of more than 200 S. Enteritidis specific genes, 46 genes were selected for deletion in S. Enteritidis PT4. These 46 genes were selected because they are absent in both S. Typhimurium and S. Typhi based on percent identity scores retrieved from standalone BLAST software analysis. The deletion mutants were constructed using the lambda red recombinase method and a PCR product containing unique barcodes. This library of uniquely barcoded mutants will be useful in determining survival and persistence of this organism both in nature and in vivo. M.S. in Food Safety and Technology, December 2013 Show less
