FIG. 1.
Kinetics of clearance of B. abortus 2308 from BALB/c mice. Four or five female BALB/c mice were infected with aerosolized 2308 in a Madison aerosol chamber using three different chamber doses, 5 × 107 CFU/ml (A), 5 × 108 CFU/ml (B), or 5 × 109 CFU/ml (C). The initial lung colonization was evaluated immediately after challenge to determine the quantity of Brucella inhaled for each chamber dose. Mice were euthanized at 1, 2, 4, 6, or 8 weeks postchallenge to determine the numbers of Brucella persisting in the lungs, livers, and spleens. The recovery of organisms is plotted as the total CFU/organ (means ± standard errors). The solid line at 0.7 log represents the lower limit of detection, which is ≥5 CFU.