Fig. 5.

Protection against C. perfringens challenge. (A) Mean body weight changes in each group monitored for 5 days post-challenge. (B) Intestinal lesion scores of each group following challenge, assessed using a standardized 0–6 scoring system. (C)Representative hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining images of jejunal tissue sections from each group. Scale bars are indicated in the original images. Data are presented as mean ± SD; P < 0.05, *P < 0.01, **P < 0.01 vs. PBS control group and NC8 control group.