Fig 3.

Gonococcal association with and intracellular survival within primary human cervical epithelial (pex) cells. Bars depicted in each graph represent the mean percent total association (left) and invasion or survival (Inv + 1h or Inv + 3h) (right), calculated from three experiments performed in triplicate. Error bars denote the variance of the mean. Percentages were determined as a function of the original inoculum and the number of CFU evident upon plating the cervical cell lysates. A Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric analysis of variance was used to determine the statistical significance of the data obtained for the copA mutant upon comparison to assays performed using wild-type gonococci. The P value was <0.02 for the copA mutant under each condition assayed.