# Salmonella Typhi: Enhancement of Endemic Potential through its Unique Virulence Factors

> **NIH NIH R01** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $252,756

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Typhoid fever is one of the most successful and devastating infectious diseases in human history and remains
a serious real-world problem that kills 0.2 million and sickens 21 million people every year. The etiological agent
of typhoid fever is the gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi), which is adapted
solely to humans. S. Typhi’s persistent-carriage infection state, exemplified by “Typhoid Mary,” is critical for
person-to-person transmission and the continued maintenance of the bacterium within humans. If we are to
effectively contain and eradicate typhoid fever, we need to implement strategies inhibiting S. Typhi’s transition
to the persistent infection state. First, however, we must understand how S. Typhi facilitates transition from acute
to a persistent/carriage infection state. In a humanized mouse model that serves as a S. Typhi’s persistent
infection model, typhoid toxin, a distinct A2B5 toxin or exotoxin produced by intracellular S. Typhi, has been
identified as a critical bacterial determinant facilitating the transition of S. Typhi infection to the persistent-carriage
infection state. In this R01, we propose a series of experiments to better understand the typhoid toxin-mediated
host cell interactive mechanism promoting S. Typhi’s persistent infection. The proposed research may provide
critical information for the development of efficacious intervention strategies to better control S. Typhi’s
transmission and outbreaks.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10425840
- **Project number:** 3R01AI141514-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeongmin Song
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $252,756
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-12-21 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10425840

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10425840, Salmonella Typhi: Enhancement of Endemic Potential through its Unique Virulence Factors (3R01AI141514-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10425840. Licensed CC0.

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