FIG 4 .
Fewer viable N. gonorrhoeae pilTL201C cells than wt N. gonorrhoeae cells are found inside epithelial cells. ME180 cells were infected with N. gonorrhoeae wt, ΔpilT, and pilTL201C for 4 h, and adhesion (A) and numbers of intracellular bacteria (B) were determined. The numbers of gentamicin-protected N. gonorrhoeae ΔpilT and pilTL201C CFU were normalized to the number of gentamicin-protected wt N. gonorrhoeae CFU. Values are the average results from 3 or more independent experiments. *, P < 0.001, and **, P < 0.01, Student’s two-tailed paired t test.