FIG 3.
Arc mutants are attenuated in a model of mucosal colonization. Estrogenized C57BL/6J mice were vaginally inoculated on day 0 with 1 × 106 CFU of streptomycin-resistant wild-type S. pyogenes HSC12 (WT) or the ΔArcA or ΔArcB mutant. Vaginal washes were collected at the time points indicated and processed for determination of CFU. Each symbol represents the mean and standard error of the mean derived from 10 mice per group. A repeated-measures analysis indicated that recoveries of both the ΔArcA and ΔArcB mutants from vaginal washes were significantly attenuated compared to that of HSC12 (***, P < 0.0001).