FIG. 3.
Changes in body weight of IL-10−/− mice after M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis challenge. The wasting disease associated with murine colitis was observed by monitoring the body weight during colitis progression. IL-10−/− mice with a B6 background received a single dose of 200 μl of control (cream; open circles), 104 CFU of live M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in cream (solid circles), or 104 CFU of pasteurized M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in cream (triangles) and were maintained under otherwise germfree conditions. Percentages of initial body weight of IL-10−/− mice were recorded biweekly. The data presented are the means ± SD for three separate experiments. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences, i.e., P < 0.01, compared to controls. Experimental groups consisted of 15 mice each, and assays were repeated three times.