Fig 5. The ΔsdbA mutant outcompetes the parent an oral colonization model.

Mice were inoculated with a 1:1 mixture consisting of ~10⁹ CFU of the parent and ΔsdbA mutant. Bacteria were recovered by swabbing oral surfaces after 1 and 7 days and enumerated using selective agar. Points represent the CFU/ml for the parent and the ΔsdbA mutant recovered from each mouse. Asterisks indicate a significant difference from zero using a one-sample T-test (**P < 0.01).