Plasmid-associated virulence of Salmonella enteritidis.

Plasmid-associated virulence of Salmonella enteritidis was studied using plasmid-cured and plasmid-reintroduced strains. The plasmidless strain was unable to grow in the liver of mice after intravenous inoculation. Reintroduction of the plasmid pEX106 from the original S. enteritidis fully restored its capacity to grow in the mice. The plasmid pEX102 of Salmonella typhimurium introduced into the plasmid-cured S. enteritidis had a similar effect. The smooth lipopolysaccharide character of the S. enteritidis strains was not affected by the presence or absence of the plasmid, and the same was true of their high resistance to complement in guinea-pig serum as such or with added antibody.