Fig 1.

In vitro biofilm formation in sarA and nuclease mutants with and without plasma coating. Biofilm formation was assessed using an in vitro model of catheter-associated biofilm formation with and without first coating the catheters with human plasma (23). Results are shown for UAMS-1 (wild type [WT]), its isogenic derivatives carrying mutations in nuc1, nuc2, or both (nuc12) with and without concomitant mutation of sarA (sarA). Strain designations: s+n1, sarA nuc1 double mutant; s+n2, sarA nuc2 double mutant; s+n12, sarA nuc1 nuc2 triple mutant. *, statistical significance (P < 0.05) by comparison to the results observed with the sarA mutant under the same assay condition; **, statistical significance (P < 0.05) by comparison to the wild-type strain.