Fig. 8

Number of adherent and intracellular bacteria after exposure of THP-1 macrophages to MVs released by infected THP-1 macrophages or bacteria during culture. The effect of MV-exposure on the adhesion and intracellular bacteria are shown separately for the conditions based on NTHi (a), Mrc (b), Spn (c), and Psa (d). THP-1 macrophages were pre-incubated with purified MVs/bMVs for 1 h before the cells were infected with either one of the bacteria (MOI 50) for 1 h in the presence of the vesicles. Bacterial counts (CFU/ml) were determined by plating of bacterial serial dilutions. Data are represented as the mean ± SEM (n ≥ 4). *p < 0.05