UC Berkeley

Pathogens utilize features of the host response as cues to regulate virulence gene expression. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) sense Toll-like receptor (TLR)-dependent signals to induce Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 (SPI2), a locus required for intracellular replication. To examine pathogenicity in the absence of such cues, we evaluated ST virulence in mice lacking all TLR function (Tlr2(-/-)xTlr4(-/-)xUnc93b1(3d/3d)). When delivered systemically to TLR-deficient mice, ST do not require SPI2 and maintain virulence by replicating extracellularly. In contrast, SPI2 mutant ST are highly attenuated after oral infection of the same mice, revealing a role for SPI2 in the earliest stages of infection, even when intracellular replication is not required. This early requirement for SPI2 is abolished in MyD88(-/-)xTRIF(-/-) mice lacking both TLR- and other MyD88-dependent signaling pathways, a potential consequence of compromised intestinal permeability. These results demonstrate how pathogens use plasticity in virulence strategies to respond to different host immune environments.