FIG 6.

SaeRS and SrrAB influence biofilm persistence in a murine model of orthopedic implant biofilm infection. (A to D) Male C57BL/6 mice were infected with the WT (JMB 1100), ΔsaePQRS::spc (JMB 1335), and ΔsrrAB (JMB 1467) strains (n = 5 mice/group). Animals were sacrificed at 14 days following infection, whereupon the implant was sonicated and host tissues surrounding the infected orthopedic implant site were homogenized to quantitate bacterial burdens. Results are expressed as the number of CFU per milliliter for the implant and the number of CFU per gram of tissue (for the soft tissue surrounding the knee, knee joint containing ligament and tendon structures, and femur) to normalize for differences in sampling size. Significant differences in bacterial burdens between mice are denoted by asterisks (*, P < 0.05). Statistics were conducted using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Bonferroni's multiple-comparison test.