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. 2005 Jul;73(7):4138–4145. doi: 10.1128/IAI.73.7.4138-4145.2005

FIG. 3.

FIG. 3.

Bacterial resistance to serum. The survival and growth of the E. coli wild-type strain χ7122 and the pst mutants were measured in 90% rabbit (A) or chicken (B) serum for various periods of time. •, strain χ7122 (wild type); ▴, strain K3 (ΔpstCAB::kan); ▪, strain CK3 [K3(pAN92)]. The results presented are means of three distinct tests. (A) The survival rate of the pst mutant strain K3 was significantly lower than the survival rates of both the wild-type strain χ7122 and the complemented strain CK3 at each time point. From 1 to 3 h of exposure to rabbit serum, the pst mutant K3 was significantly more sensitive to serum than either strain χ7122 (P < 0.006) or CK3 (P < 0.004). No significant differences were observed between the wild-type χ7122 strain and the complemented strain CK3. (B) No statistical differences were observed between the survival rates of strains χ7122, K3, and CK3 after exposure to chicken serum. The control strain χ7145 (χ7122 rfb−) did not survive after 1 h of exposure to 90% chicken serum (data not shown).