Fig 1.

Biofilm formation by H. pylori G27 wild type and chemotaxis mutants. Biofilm mass formed on microtiter plate surfaces was quantified with crystal violet at optical density 595 (OD₅₉₅) after culture for 1 day (A) or 3 days (B). Mutants with significantly increased or decreased biofilm mass compared to WT are colored in red or blue, respectively. (C) Representative images of GFP-expressing WT, ΔcheA, or ΔcheZ biofilms after culturing for 1 or 3 days. The large central panel is a top view, with the side panels representing a thin section of the attached cells or microcolonies that are taken at the indicated line. Scale bars = 50 µm. (D) Representative images of pellicles formed after 1 and 3 days. The background color difference is due to lighting on different days. In all panels, values shown are the mean ± standard deviation (SD) from at least three independent experiments. Statistical analyses were performed using one-way ANOVA (^****P < 0.0001; ^**P < 0.01), with asterisks indicating comparison to WT or NS for not significant.