Representative confocal phase-contrast microscopy images of diverse bacterial species grown in rich liquid medium (BHIS) to mid-exponential phase. B. thetaiotaomicron cultures exhibited a high degree of morphological heterogeneity, as illustrated by elongated (white arrowhead) or small (white asterisk) cells, and P. vulgatus and B. uniformis displayed similar levels of morphological heterogeneity. In contrast, S. enterica and C. jejuni (rods of similar size and shape) as well as C. difficile (similarly sized vegetative cells) cultures appeared much more homogeneous. Scale bars: 5 μm.
