FIG. 3.

P. aeruginosa mutants deficient for flagellum or flagellar motor proteins are resistant to phagocytosis by human macrophages in vitro. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-derived human macrophages were cultured and assayed by gentamicin protection assay for relative in vitro uptake of PA14, pilus-deficient pilB and pilG mutants, flagellum-deficient flgK and fliN mutants, and the flagellar stator protein-deficient ΔmotAB ΔmotCD mutant. Phagocytic uptake levels were normalized as percentages of the mean WT phagocytosis. Statistical significance (P < 0.05) of differences from wild-type levels is indicated (asterisks). Graphs are plotted on a log scale. For all genotypes, n is ≥9; means and standard deviations are shown.