Fig. 2

G. vaginalis and N. gonorrhoeae form biofilm on PVM. Strains were inoculated onto PVM explants at ~ 10⁴ CFU/explant and processed for microscopy at indicated times. The LIVE/DEAD stain allows for imaging of both the mucosal epithelium and bacteria. Green cells are alive while red cells are dead. a-d, i-l Uncolonized control (CNTL) tissue remains healthy throughout both experiments as evidenced by large green intact epithelial cells. e-h By 48 h post-colonization, G. vaginalis (GV) forms a patchy biofilm that persists and spreads over time (anaerobic growth). m-p In just 24 h N. gonorrhoeae (NG) forms a robust biofilm, which thickens and persists over time (aerobic growth). Epithelial cells that can be seen under and around the NG biofilm are alive as evidenced by their green staining, while those on GV-colonized explants are dead (large red cells under the green biofilm). Scale bars = 100 μm for all images