Date of Graduation

12-2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Food Science

Advisor/Mentor

Steven Ricke

Committee Member

Jeff Lewis

Second Committee Member

Young Kwon

Third Committee Member

Michael Johnson

Fourth Committee Member

Steven Foley

Keywords

Antimicrobial Agent, IncI1, Plasmids, Salmonella, Sequencing, Virulence

Abstract

Foodborne illnesses are a leading cause of infectious diseases in the world. Among enteric organisms Salmonella is a key pathogen. It’s high prevalence in poultry and other food-animal sources make it imperative to study. Salmonella has the ability to modify its genetic content with help of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids. Incompatibiltiy group 1 (IncI1) plasmids are commonly reported in Salmonella. This study evaluates role on IncI1 plasmids in antimicrobial resistance and virulence in Salmonella. Genetic determinants of resistance and virulence are noted among our IncI1-containing Salmonella isolates. These genetic elements are also transferable and reported to carry respective phenotypic traits with them. Whole genomes of selected strains were sequenced using Illumina MiSeq platform. This gave more comprehensive understanding of IncI1 plasmids and their host strains. Further studies using advanced sequencing methods and functional assays under various stress factors such as different pH, in presence of probiotic-like compounds, would give more accurate and comprehensive understanding of IncI1 plasmids and their role in foodborne illnesses. Overall, this study increases our understanding of foodborne illnesses and provides us efficient tools to manage them.

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