NC_011083:374000 Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Heidelberg str. SL476,
Host Lineage: Salmonella enterica; Salmonella; Enterobacteriaceae; Enterobacteriales; Proteobacteria; Bacteria
General Information: This is a multidrug resistant strain. Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Heidelberg is one of the more common serovars causing disease in the USA. This group of Enterobactericiae have pathogenic characteristics and are one of the most common causes of enteric infections (food poisoning) worldwide. They were named after the scientist Dr. Daniel Salmon who isolated the first organism, Salmonella choleraesuis, from the intestine of a pig. The presence of several pathogenicity islands (PAIs) that encode various virulence factors allows Salmonella spp. to colonize and infect host organisms. There are two important PAIs, Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 and 2 (SPI-1 and SPI-2) that encode two different type III secretion systems for the delivery of effector molecules into the host cell that result in internalization of the bacteria which then leads to systemic spread.