Analysis of N. meningitidis adhesion on endothelial cells in the presence of liquid flow using a laminar flow chamber. Endothelial cells forming a confluent monolayer on a glass slide were placed in a flow chamber under a fluorescence microscope. Fluorescent bacteria introduced over the cells in the presence of 0.04 dynes/cm2 shear stress were followed by the use of a time-lapse video microscopy. Quantitative image analysis with the Quia software package allowed automated identification of attached bacteria, which were then marked with colored squares. The video is accelerated 50 times; real-time duration is 10 min.
