Bärbel Stecher, Institute of Microbiology ETH Zürich for her work on the mechanisms of diarrheal Salmonella infections. In particular, Dr. Stecher’s research focuses on the consequences of the infection for the normal gut microflora. She found that Salmonella typhimurium, a common agent causing food borne diarrhea, deliberately triggers the gut immune system to provoke an inflammatory response. This inflammatory response suppresses the gut micro flora and thereby allows Salmonella typhimurium to grow in the host’s intestine. This represents a new paradigm in infection biology: Normally, inflammation helps the body to eliminate pathogens. However, some pathogens seem to subvert this immune response for their own benefit.