Clostridium difficile Spore-Macrophage Interactions: Spore Survival
Figure 5
Raw 264.7 cells bind and phagocytose C. difficile spores.
A,B,C,D,E,F) SEM of Raw 264.7 cells infected with C. difficile spores under aerobic conditions. Note the active phagocytosis of the spores by Raw 264.7 cells in both panels. White arrows denote coiling phagocytosis. F) Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of Raw 264.7 cells infected with C. difficile 630 spores at an MOI of 10 for 30 min under aerobic conditions. The area of adherence of C. difficile spores occurred at patchy regions at the end of protrusions from the surface of Raw 264.7 cells. Bar: 1 µm.