Deletion of <i>sphR</i> reduces <i>P. aeruginosa</i> survival in the mouse lung.

<p>Male C57Bl/6J mice were infected with 2×10⁷ CFU/mouse of each strain via oropharyngeal aspiration. Mice were euthanized and lungs harvested 24 hours after infection. Bacterial counts were determined by serial dilution onto Pseudomonas Isolation Agar (PIA). Deletion of <i>sphR</i> (Δ<i>sphR</i>) reduced <i>P. aeruginosa</i> survival 7.7-fold (p<0.001), an effect that was complemented by addition of <i>sphR</i> at the <i>attTn7</i> site. Wild-type (WT) and Δ<i>sphR</i> cells carried the empty <i>attTn7</i> insertion cassette as described in the methods section. Statistical significance determined using one way ANOVA with Tukey's post-test comparing all groups to each other. p-value summaries: n.s. = not significant; *** for p<0.001. Data shown is combined from two experiments. The same effect sizes and variance have been seen in at least one additional experiment for each strain, resulting in each strain having been compared to wild type in at least three independent experiments (described further in the Methods section).