Introduction 3. The Nature of Salmonella-Intestinal Interactions 3.1 Salmonella and environmental cues 3.2 Salmonella pathogenesis and host cell invasion 3.3 Salmonella entry into epithelial cells is determined by genetically defined factors 3.4 Salmonella and secreted invasion determinants 3.5 Salmonella and the protein secretion apparatus 4. Inflammatory responses elicited by Salmonella-Intestinal Epithelial Interactions 4.1 Salmonella coordinates mucosal inflammatory responses 4.2 Salmonella contact with the intestinal epithelium generates signals important for the initiation and amplification of the mucosal inflammatory response 5. Perspective