FIG 6.

In vivo fitness ability and survival in serum. (A) Growth rate analysis of string-positive isolates versus non-string-positive isolates. Means and SDs were calculated for 9 isolates, in five replicates. Student’s t test was performed (P < 0.05). (B) Survival of string-positive A. baumannii isolates in 80% NHS and heat-inactivated NHS (as a control for each strain grown [WO] in BHI medium measured). The data presented are normalized to CFU counts at time zero. Each bar indicates the mean ± SD from at least three independent experiments. WO, without serum. *, P < 0.05 compared with ATCC 19606 by Student’s t test.