Figure 5. Intracellular replication of Francisella strains within Fischer 344 hepatocytes.
Livers were collected from Fischer 344 rats and hepatocytes were isolated. Cells were seeded in 96 well plates (2×105 cells/well) and allowed to adhere. Cells were infected with 10 MOI of (A) subsp. novicida, (B) LVS, (C) subsp. holarctica or (D) subsp. tularensis for 2 hr, gentamicin treated for 1 hr, and incubated at 37°C for 72 hr. At the indicated time points after infection (3, 24, 48 and 72 hr), cells were lysed and serial dilutions were plated to quantify intracellular bacteria. Results are representative of three separate experiments. *P = 0.02, **P<0.01.