Fig. 6.

After 72 h of ingestion in PBS, WT V. cholerae densely colonize the rectal pouch, whereas very few ΔvpsA mutants are visible. WT colonization of the rectal pouch is maintained after transfer to sterile PBS. (A) WT V. cholerae in the midgut after 72 h of continuous feeding. (B) WT V. cholerae in the rectal pouch after 72 h of continuous feeding. (C) Magnified view of WT V. cholerae in the rectal pouch and individual bacteria (inset). (D) ΔvpsA mutant in the midgut after 72 h of continuous feeding. (E) ΔvpsA mutant in the rectal pouch after 72 h of continuous feeding. (F) Magnified view of ΔvpsA mutant in the rectal pouch. (G) WT V. cholerae in midgut after colonization transfer experiment. (H) WT V. cholerae in rectal pouch after colonization transfer experiment. (I) Magnified view of WT V. cholerae in the rectal pouch and individual bacteria (inset). Nuclei were stained with DAPI.