Survival and distribution of cell-free SEF 21 of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in the stomach and various compartments of the rat gastrointestinal tract in vivo

Rats were dosed for 6 days with purified SEF 21 fimbriae of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis 10360. The levels of fimbriae in gut contents associated with tissues and in the faeces were quantified by direct non-competitive ELISA. SEF 21 was distributed throughout the gut. The majority was found in the large intestine where it was primarily in the luminal contents. In contrast, a high proportion of SEF 21 detected in the ileum, the main site of salmonella colonisation and invasion, was tissue-bound. Thus, purified SEF 21 survived intestinal passage and associated with the stomach and gastrointestinal tract in a pattern similar to that found with whole Salmonella cells.