Pathogenic Salmonella typhimurium can invade the intestinal epithelium and cause a wide range of diseases including gastroenteritis and bacteremia in human and animals. To identify the genes involved in the infection, the invasion determinant was obtained from S. typhimurium 82/6915 and was subcloned into pGEM-7Z. A subclone DHl (pSV6235) invaded HEp-2 and Chinese hamster ovary epithelial cells and contained a 4.4 kb fragment of S. typhimurium genomic region. Compared with the host strain E. coli DHl, the subclone DHl (pSV6235) invaded cultured HEp-2 and Chinese hamster ovary cells at least 75- and 68-fold higher, respectively. The invasion rate of E. coli DHl for the cells significantly increased by harbouring the genomic region derived from pathogenic S. typhimurium 82/6915.