Virulence of a Salmonella typhimurium OmpD mutant

An ompD mutation caused by a Tn10 insertion was transduced into Salmonella typhimurium SL1344 and UK-1. The adherence and invasion capabilities of the resultant ompD mutants were examined by tissue culture analysis. The virulence of the S. typhimurium ompD mutants was ascertained by a 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) study and by determining colonization ability with BALB/c mice. We found no statistically significant difference in adherence and invasion capacities between the S. typhimurium wild type strains and their corresponding ompD mutants. Furthermore, the LD₅₀ and colonization studies revealed that there is no statistically significant difference in virulence between the S. typhimurium wild type strains and their corresponding ompD mutants. These results differ from those reported previously (C. J. Dorman, S. Chatfield, C. F. Higgins, C. Hayward, and G. Dougan, Infect. Immun. 57:2136-2140, 1989).