Figure 1.
Escherichia coli inhibitory activity in cervicovaginal lavage (CVL) specimens obtained at postcoital visits, compared with baseline. E. coli (approximately 109 colony-forming units [CFU]/mL) were mixed with each CVL specimen or control buffer for 2 hours, diluted in buffer to yield approximately 1000 CFU on control plates, and incubated overnight. Each point represents the percentage inhibition relative to the control buffer. Horizontal and vertical lines indicate median values and interquartile ranges, respectively. Each participant is color-coded to highlight individual changes over time. *P < .05, by the Wilcoxon signed rank test, compared with baseline.