FIG. 6.

(A) Diagram of the gcpE operon in M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. The position of a Tn5367 insertion present in the ΔgcpE mutant, as characterized in a previous study (30), is indicated. (B) Assessment of virulence of the ΔgcpE mutant using the intestinal calf model of paratuberculosis. The competitive index for the ΔgcpE mutant was calculated based on the levels of tissue colonization by the mutant strain and a virulent strain, M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis wild-type strain ATCC 19698.