Figure 3
The S. suis serotype 9 (S9) AgI/II, but not that of the serotype 2 (S2), is implicated in bacterial self-aggregation and biofilm formation. The role of the S. suis AgI/II was evaluated with regards to cell-to-cell aggregation in fluid phase (A) and biofilm formation capacity in the presence of porcine fibrinogen (B) after 24 h of incubation at 37 °C. Data represent the mean ± SEM from at least three independent experiments. **(p < 0.01) and ***(p < 0.001) indicate a significant difference between the S. suis S9 wild-type or complemented strain (S9CΔagI/II) and agI/II-deficient mutant (S9ΔagI/II).