FIG 2.

No difference in shear force susceptibility between WT and Δp66 B. burgdorferi. WT and Δp66 were suspended in 200 μl of PBS plus 0.2% NMS at a density of 1 × 10⁶ cells ml⁻¹ and passed through a 29-gauge needle up to 9 times. Bacterial survival after each passage was quantified by plating for CFU. Data shown are means from three technical replicates with error bars representing SEM; some error bars are smaller than the symbols. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni's posttest was used to compare survival of needle passages between B. burgdorferi strains; no significant difference was observed.