Linking intraspecies variability of Salmonella enterica isolates under acidic conditions to genotype

There is a lack of information about Salmonella enterica strains under acidic conditions and their association with their genome. This study characterized intraspecies variability in the growth of 167 S. enterica isolates under two acid conditions (pH 4 and 5) and linked to the whole genome sequencing (WGS) data. A total of 1002 curves for each condition were obtained using turbidimetry measurements, and Baranyi and Roberts model was used to estimate the maximum rate of change (rcmax; OD600 nm h−1). Strains were categorized into slow, intermediate, and fast; and associations with their WGS data were performed. Huge variability in rcmax¯$\overline {{\mathrm{r}}{{{\mathrm{c}}}_{{\mathrm{max}}} $ was observed at both conditions (pH 5 = 0.016–0.066 OD600nm h−1 and pH 4 = 0.003–0.028 OD600nm h−1). The majority of isolates was classified as intermediate rcmax¯$\overline {{\mathrm{r}}{{{\mathrm{c}}}_{{\mathrm{max}}} $ (59.5% at pH 5 and 46.1% at pH 4). Strains classified as fast had a low frequency of allABCD genes at both pHs, and any of them having the presence of pefABCD, spvBCR, aadA2, dfrA12, and gyrA_D87G genes were linked to virulence or antimicrobial resistance. This study suggests that strains with fast capacity for growth under acidic conditions could have a fitness cost in their virulence or resistance potential. Practical Application Data presented in this study could be used to select representative strains to evaluate the exposure assessment in different food items, mainly the growth and survival in acidic foods.