In vitro modeling of gallbladder-associated Salmonella spp. colonization.

[typhoid]

The host-pathogen interactions occurring in the gallbladder during Salmonella Typhi colonization contribute to typhoid fever pathogenesis during the acute and chronic stages of disease . The gallbladder is the primary reservoir during chronic typhoid carriage . In this organ , Salmonella encounters host-barriers including bile , immunoglobulins , and mucus . However , the bacterium possesses mechanisms to resist and persist in this environment , in part by its ability to attach to and invade into the gallbladder epithelium . Such persistence in the gallbladder epithelium contributes to chronic carriage . In addition , patients harboring gallstones in their gallbladders have increased risk of becoming carriers because these abnormalities serve as a substrate for Salmonella biofilm formation . Our laboratory has studied the Salmonella interactions in this specific environment by developing in vitro methods that closely mimic the gallbladder and gallstones niches . These methods are reproducible and provide a platform for future studies of acute and chronic bacterial infections in the gallbladder .