Salmonella species (Salmonella spp.) (Salmonella)

Salmonella spp. is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic bacteria within the family Enterobacteriaceae (CDC, 2023). These organisms are significant human pathogens responsible for a spectrum of diseases, most notably non-typhoidal salmonellosis and enteric fevers such as typhoid and paratyphoid fever (WHO, 2023). While not a single molecular target, Salmonella contains numerous essential biological components that serve as targets for antimicrobial therapy, including DNA gyrase, ribosomes, and cell wall synthesis enzymes (StatPearls, 2023). Fluoroquinolones like ciprofloxacin inhibit DNA replication by targeting topoisomerases, while beta-lactams interfere with peptidoglycan cross-linking (NCBI, 2022). The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains poses a major therapeutic challenge, often requiring the use of last-resort antibiotics like carbapenems or colistin (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2017). Effective management involves both acute treatment of infection and monitoring for chronic carriage, particularly in the gallbladder (Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2014).

Other names

SalmonellaSalmonella entericaSalmonella bongoriEnteric bacilli

Antibiotics targeting Salmonella species operate by disrupting essential bacterial processes: fluoroquinolones inhibit DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV to prevent DNA replication; beta-lactams inhibit penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) to disrupt cell wall synthesis; and macrolides or aminoglycosides bind to ribosomal subunits (50S or 30S) to inhibit protein synthesis (StatPearls, 2023; NCBI, 2022).