Microevolution of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium - molecular basis of emerging threats to human health

How and why do new strain variants of foodborne bacterial pathogens emerge and replace pre-existing strains? The answer to this question is important to intervening in the spread of the bacterial pathogen Salmonella within livestock and wild animals that are reservoirs of infection in people. The student will employ computational approaches to identify newly emerging strains of Salmonella and molecular biology to understand the consequences of microevolution on key characteristics associated with emergence.