Figure 2: Comparison of F. novicida vs. mutant strains in adhesion and invasion to A549 lung epithelial cells. A. Adhesion to A549 lung epithelial cells by F. novicida (U112) was compared to mutant strains ΔiglC, Δtul4, ΔmglA, Δ58kDa and ΔripA. U112 shows a significantly higher degree of adhesion when compared to Δtul4 but a significantly lower adhesion when compared to ΔiglC, ΔmglA and ΔripA mutant strains. B. Invasion of A549 lung epithelial cells by U112 when compared to mutant strains. Statistical data analysis shows a significantly higher degree of invasion by F. novicida when compared to ΔmglA but significantly lower than ΔiglC. C. Percent invasion rate by U112 to A549 human type II alveolar epithelial cells compared to mutant strains ΔiglC, Δtul4, ΔmglA, Δ58kDa and ΔripA. * = P< 0.05, ** = P< 0.005, *** = P< 0.0005