Open AccessMechanisms of egg contamination by Salmonella Enteritidis
Author(s) -
Gantois Inne,
Ducatelle Richard,
Pasmans Frank,
Haesebrouck Freddy,
Gast Richard,
Humphrey Tom J.,
Van Immerseel Filip
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
fems microbiology reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.91
H-Index - 212
eISSN - 1574-6976
pISSN - 0168-6445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2008.00161.x
Subject(s) - yolk , salmonella enteritidis , biology , vitelline membrane , salmonella , eggshell , contamination , oviduct , microbiology and biotechnology , antimicrobial , serotype , bacterial outer membrane , bacteria , food science , embryo , ecology , escherichia coli , genetics , oocyte , endocrinology , gene
Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) has been the major cause of the food‐borne salmonellosis pandemic in humans over the last 20 years, during which contaminated hen's eggs were the most important vehicle of the infection. Eggs can be contaminated on the outer shell surface and internally. Internal contamination can be the result of penetration through the eggshell or by direct contamination of egg contents before oviposition, originating from infection of the reproductive organs. Once inside the egg, the bacteria need to cope with antimicrobial factors in the albumen and vitelline membrane before migration to the yolk can occur. It would seem that serotype Enteritidis has intrinsic characteristics that allow an epidemiological association with hen eggs that are still undefined. There are indications that SE survives the attacks with the help of antimicrobial molecules during the formation of the egg in the hen's oviduct and inside the egg. This appears to require a unique combination of genes encoding for improved cell wall protection and repairing cellular and molecular damage, among others.