Critical role of type I interferon-induced macrophage necroptosis during infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

Salmonella enteric strains are facultative intracellular pathogens that can produce both localized enteritis and disseminated systemic disease in humans and a variety of other vertebrates.1 Extensive evidence obtained from genetic and cell biology studies indicates that Salmonella has evolved specific virulence mechanisms to evade innate immune responses.1 However, the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms have not been understood very well. A recent paper published by Robinson et al. in Nature Immunology2 reported that type I interferon (IFN)-induced macrophage necroptosis plays a critical role in evading host innate immune responses during infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). This finding helps us to further understand the pathogenesis of Salmonella enteric infection.