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This is Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Christopher Intagliata. Got a minute?

Last month's salmonella outbreak got over 1,500 people sick. And one reason salmonella may be such a heavy hitter is that it actually hijacks¹ our immune response for its own benefit. That's according to a study in the journal Nature

Bacteria in our gut² gobble up things like sugars and fatty acids, which they can break down either through respiration³ or fermentation. Respiration provides a bigger energy kick. But it requires oxygen, which is sparse⁴ in the gut. So most bacteria go the fermentation route

Except salmonella. Because it’s adapted to use the respiration route. Not with oxygen, but via a sulfur⁵ compound—something most bacteria can't do

The insidious⁶ thing is that the sulfur compound the salmonellafeast on is a by-product⁷ of the attack our white blood cells launch against the invaders⁸. So by protecting ourselves, we're also ensuring that salmonella stay well-fed. Because a more inflamed⁹ gut allows salmonellabacteria to outcompete good bacteria, and explode in numbers. And the little buggers also use our attempts to expel them with vomiting¹⁰ and diarrhea. Those are both excellent ways for the bugs to get to their next victims

Thanks for minute, for Scientific American’s 60-Second Science, I’m Christopher Intagliata