The host-pathogen interactions occurring in the gallbladder during Salmonella 
Typhi colonization contribute to typhoid fever pathogenesis during the acute and 
chronic stages of disease. The gallbladder is the primary reservoir during 
chronic typhoid carriage. In this organ, Salmonella encounters host-barriers 
including bile, immunoglobulins, and mucus. However, the bacterium possesses 
mechanisms to resist and persist in this environment, in part by its ability to 
attach to and invade into the gallbladder epithelium. Such persistence in the 
gallbladder epithelium contributes to chronic carriage. In addition, patients 
harboring gallstones in their gallbladders have increased risk of becoming 
carriers because these abnormalities serve as a substrate for Salmonella biofilm 
formation. Our laboratory has studied the Salmonella interactions in this 
specific environment by developing in vitro methods that closely mimic the 
gallbladder and gallstones niches. These methods are reproducible and provide a 
platform for future studies of acute and chronic bacterial infections in the 
gallbladder.