FIG. 5.

Levels of Lactobacillus-specific IgA in Peyer's patch whole-organ culture supernatants and intestinal contents of monoxenic mice. After 30 days of colonization, Peyer's patches were collected, washed, and incubated for 10 days in culture. The whole small intestine was taken to extract intestinal contents. Culture supernatants from Peyer's patch cultures (A and B) and intestinal contents (C and D) were assessed for L. johnsonii-specific (A and C) and L. paracasei-specific (B and D) IgA by ELISA. Results are expressed as optical density at 405 nm of specific IgA antibodies and represent means of duplicates (A and B) and of eight mice per group (C and D) (± standard error of the mean). The data show results from one representative experiment out of three. *, significantly increased above values for germfree controls (P < 0.05).