Identification and characterization of the Salmonella pathogenicity island -2 effectors

Diseases caused by Salmonella bacteria create major health problems throughout the world. Each year, 16 million cases of typhoid fever caused by salmonella worldwide result in 600,000 deaths. Salmonella has also developed increasing resistance to antibiotics. Recent research shows that Salmonella, as well as other related bacteria, use special bacterial proteins called “”effectors”” to facilitate the infection process. These effectors were found to play key roles in the interaction between the host and the bacteria. Dr. Ohad Gal-Mor aims to identify new effectors used by Salmonella typhimurium and to characterize their function. The research could help explain how effectors enable Salmonella to create disease, and contribute to new therapies for controlling bacterial infections.