Description
Bacterial genotoxins, produced by several Gram-negative bacteria, induce DNA damage in the target cells. While the responses induced in the host cells have been extensively studied in vitro, the role of the genotoxins as effectors during the course of acute and chronic infections remains poorly characterized.To address this issue, we assessed the effects of the Salmonella enterica genotoxin, known as typhoid toxin, in in vivo models of murine chronic infections. Immunocompetent mice were chronically infected with isogenic S. enterica, serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) strains, encoding either a functional (MC71-TT) or an inactive (MC71-DcdtB) typhoid toxin.