FIG 6.

The evolved strain 044Fluco31 exhibits increased cell-to-cell adhesion over that of the 044 clinical isolate. Cell-to-cell aggregation was evaluated based on microscopic observation. (A) Displayed, as scatter dot plots, are the percentage of cell aggregates per total cell population and the number of cells per aggregate, considering aggregates of at least 10 cells. **, P < 0.01; ****, P < 0.0001. (B) Adhesion of the C. glabrata 044 clinical isolate and derived strains evolving toward azole resistance to VK2/E6E7 human vaginal epithelial cells for 30 min at 37°C under 5% CO₂. Values are averages of results from at least three independent experiments. Error bars represent standard deviations. **, P < 0.01. (C) Biofilm formation on polystyrene surfaces was assessed based on crystal violet staining of the C. glabrata 044 clinical isolate and derived strains evolving toward azole resistance, which had been grown for 15 h in RPMI medium, pH 4.0, in microtiter plates. The data are displayed in a scatter dot plot, where each dot represents the level of biofilm formed in a sample. Horizontal lines indicate the average levels from at least 8 independent experiments. Error bars indicate standard deviations.