Salmonella and apoptosis: to live or let die?

A successful pathogen manipulates its host for its own benefit. One means to establish a successful infection, especially for intracellular pathogens, is to exploit host cell death pathways and alter the viability of host cells. Here we describe the manipulation of apoptosis by Salmonella and discuss the advantages that such actions may confer to the bacteria, and its implications in resistance to disease.