The attenuated sopB mutant of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium has the same tissue distribution and host chemokine response as the wild type in bovine Peyer's patches.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is an important cause of enteric infections in farm animals and it is one of the most frequent food borne infections worldwide. Serovar Typhimurium lacking the sopB gene is attenuated for induction of host inflammatory response and fluid accumulation into the intestinal lumen, which correlates with clinical diarrhea. SopB is an inositol phosphate phosphatase, but its exact role in the pathogenesis of salmonellosis is still unclear. We employed the bovine ileal ligated loop model to compare the tissue distribution of a sopB mutant and its wild type parent serovar Typhimurium. Sections of the Peyer's patches were histologically processed and immuno-stained for detection of serovar Typhimurium. In addition, samples were processed for transmission electron microscopy, and the profile of expression of host chemokine and cytokine responses was assessed. Ultrastructurally both strains had the same ability to invade intestinal epithelial cells. No differences were detected in the tissue distribution of the sopB mutant and the wild type organism and both strains elicited the same profile of chemokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, our results indicate that the attenuation of the sopB mutant is associated with pathogenic mechanisms other than invasion and distribution in host intestinal tissues.