Figure 4. Effect of prior exposure to E. coli on nematode feeding preference.

Nematodes raised in CeHR medium prefer lethal B. cenocepacia strains HI2424 and J2315 over E. coli, but the reverse is true for B. multivorans ATCC17616, which is nontoxic and is preferred by nematodes fed E. coli. †, pairings lethal to nematodes; other interactions supported nematode reproduction. Results are expressed as mean (+/− SEM) of three replicate assays. * p<0.05, 1 sample t-test versus expected 50%.