Fimbriae of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis

Fimbriae, also called pill, are proteinaceous, filamentous structures prese nt on the surface of many species of the Enterobacteriaceae family, includi ng genus Salmonella. Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis elaborates mor phologically distinct fimbriae designated SEF21, SEF17, SEF14, and probably an additional kind of fimbriae representing type IV, called bundle-forming pill. It is generally accepted that fimbriae are an important factor in ba cterial survival and persistence in the host. They are involved in the adhe sion of the bacteria to different cells/surfaces, that is often the initial step in the colonisation of host tissue and an essential step in pathogene sis. Fimbriae, because of their structure and localisation, are excellent t argets for the macroorganism. immunological system. It was demonstrated tha t they can be used for production of subunit vaccines.