Effect of hbps knockdown on growth of B. henselae on blood plates.

For the growth test on CBA plates, strains B. henselae (pNS2Trc), B. henselae (pNS2Trc::hbpA AS), B. henselae (pNS2Trc::hbpB AS), B. henselae (pNS2Trc::hbpC AS) and B. henselae (pNS2Trc::hbpDAS) were collected after 5 days of growth on CBA plates and suspended in PBS buffer to obtain about 103 CFU ml−1. Two-hundred microliters of cell suspension were plated on the CBA plate. Colony sizes were measured after 6 and 10 days of growth at 35°C in the presence of 5% CO2. Data are the mean diameter (mm) ± SD of 10 colonies from one representative experiment. Standard deviations were calculated using Statview software. All experiments were repeated three times. NM: not measurable.