Fig. 4: Immunization of mice and guinea pigs with ΔmenT4ΔT3 imparts protection against M. tuberculosis challenge. | Nature Communications

Fig. 4: Immunization of mice and guinea pigs with ΔmenT4ΔT3 imparts protection against M. tuberculosis challenge.

From: Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain with deletions in menT3 and menT4 is attenuated and confers protection in mice and guinea pigs

Fig. 4

a 6–8 weeks old female C57BL/6 mice were immunized subcutaneously with 5 × 105 CFU of either M. bovis BCG or ΔmenT4ΔT3. At 10 weeks post-immunization, animals were challenged with M. tuberculosis and bacterial enumeration was performed at 4- and 10 weeks post-infection. b–e The data shown in these panels is mean ± SD of log10 CFU in lungs (b, d) and spleens (c, e) of naive or BCG or ΔmenT4ΔT3 immunized mice after challenge with M. tuberculosis at 4 weeks (b, c) and 10 weeks (d, e) post-infection. The data shown in these panels are mean ± SD of log10 CFU obtained from 5 animals from a single experiment (except in (e) week 10, ΔmenT4ΔT3 n = 4). f 6–8-week-old female guinea pigs (Duncan Hartley strain) were immunized intradermally with 1 × 105 CFU of either M. bovis BCG or ΔmenT4ΔT3. At 10 weeks post-immunization, animals were challenged with M. tuberculosis and bacterial enumeration and histopathology analysis were performed at 4 and 8-weeks post-infection. The bacterial burdens in the lungs of naive or BCG or ΔmenT4ΔT3 immunized guinea pigs were determined after challenge with M. tuberculosis at 4 (g) and 8 weeks (h) post-challenge. The data shown are mean ± SD of log10 CFU obtained from 6 animals from a single experiment (except in (g) week 4, naïve and BCG n = 7 and in (h) week 8, BCG n = 8). The data shown in this panel are mean ± SD of total granuloma score obtained from H&E stained lung sections of naive or BCG or ΔmenT4ΔT3 immunized guinea pigs at 4 weeks (i) and 8 weeks (j) post-challenge. The data shown are obtained from 6 animals from a single experiment (except in (i) week 4, naïve and BCG n = 7 and in (j) week 8, BCG n = 8). k This panel shows representative images of H&E-stained sections of lung tissues of naive or immunized guinea pigs after infection with M. tuberculosis for 4 weeks or 8 weeks. Scale bar, 100 μm. p values depicted on the graphs were assessed using one-way ANOVA. Source Data are provided as a Source Data file.

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