FIG. 3.

The adhC-estD operon is required for biofilm viability. (A) COMSTAT analysis of biofilm biomass (black bars) and average thickness (white bars). The error bars represent±standard error of the mean. No statistical difference (p≤0.05) was observed in either the biomass or thickness of the biofilms formed by the adhC, estD, and adhC-estD mutants relative to the wild-type strain. These results are the combination of three independent experiments. (B) Three-dimensional reconstructions of stacked z-series of meningococcal wild-type, adhC, estD, and adhC-estD mutants grown over glass taken at 200×magnification and rendered using EZ-C1 viewer (Nikon). Cells staining green represent viable cells, while cells staining red represent dead cells. These experiments were performed three times, and representative results are shown. (To see this illustration in color, the reader is referred to the web version of this article at www.liebertpub.com/ars.)