FIGURE 3.

Motility assays using the ten selected MGD mutants. (A) Swarming motility was assayed on soft agar by inoculating a freshly grown bacterial colony on top of the agar and incubating the culture under high RH (95 ± 5%) for 24 h. Single colony inocula were of similar size and age. Results are shown as the mean (n = 8) from eight independent plates assessed in two separate assays. Note that some error bars are too small to appear on the graph scale. Statistical analysis (STm 14028s vs. mutant) was performed using a Student’s t-test (**p < 0.01). (B) Swimming motility assay on soft agar inoculated with 1 uL of bacterial culture (1 × 10⁸ CFU/mL) within the agar and observed at 24 hpi. Diffuse turbidity indicates movement of cells from the point of inoculation (center of the well) and confirmed swimming capability in STm 14028s (a), Mut4 (c), Mut2 (d), Mut9 (e), Mut8 (f), Mut7 (g), Mut1 (h), Mut3 (i), Mut10 (j), and Mut6 (k). Lack of movement from the point of inoculation was observed for mutant Mut5 (b). The assay was performed three times with three replicates per assay, with consistent results.