Orientations of the Bacteroides fragilis Capsular Polysaccharide Biosynthesis Locus Promoters during Symbiosis and Infection

Orientations of the seven invertible polysaccharide biosynthesis locus promoters of Bacteroides fragilis were determined from bacteria grown in vitro, from feces of monoassociated and complex colonized mice, and from B. fragilis-induced murine abscesses. Bacteria grown in vivo have greater variability in orientation of polysaccharide locus promoters than culture-grown organisms.