FIG 3.

A. fumigatus persistence is not influenced by stress, with the exception of hypoxia, and cannot be eliminated with adjuvant or combinatorial treatments. (A) Hypoxia was the only stress that could prevent persistence, while neither oxidative (H₂O₂), cell wall (SDS or CFW), nor osmotic (NaCl) stress significantly influenced persistence. (B) Hypoxia completely eradicated persistence also on the rich medium YAG for ATCC, PD-60, and PD-9, but only reduced persistence for PD-104. (C) The use of adjuvant drugs could not prevent persistence. Quantification of the CoHs formed by PD-104 under each treatment is shown. (D) Combinatorial treatment with amphotericin B and caspofungin did not prevent persistence. Quantification of the CoH formed by PD-9 and PD-104 under combinatorial treatment is shown. All plates were incubated with 10 μL of 0.8 mg/mL voriconazole added to the disc and the specific condition (stress, adjuvant, or combinatorial drug), as described in the text, present in the medium. Plates were incubated for 5 days at 37°C. All plates and conditions were repeated in at least two independent experiments. Persister isolates are labeled with an asterisk (*).