FIG. 4.

Addition of the purified protein to the culture reduces the pathogenicity of P. aeruginosa PAO1 in the C. elegans infection model. Purified PvdQ was added to a PAO1 wild-type culture and incubated at 37°C for 6 to 8 h before being used as a food source in the liquid assay to detect any reduction or inhibition of pathogenicity. This graph demonstrates the number of worms alive in the wells at 20-min intervals when exposed to E. coli OP50 (inverted triangles), PAO1 wild type (open circles), and PAO1 with purified protein added to it (filled circles). When PvdQ is added to the wild type there is a slower progression of the infection, resulting in an increased LT₅₀ of about 1.3 h for the animals before they eventually die.