Figure 1. Characteristic features of the murine pulmonary tuberculosis model.

(A) Bacterial counts in the lungs and spleen at different time points after i.t. instillation of luminescent M. tuberculosis (1 × 10⁴ CFU). Values are expressed as log₁₀ mRLU per organ (n = 4). Dotted lines indicate the detection limit of the bioluminescence assay. (B) RT-qPCR analysis of the indicated inflammatory mediators within BAL cells. Data are expressed as relative mRNA levels, normalized against reference the housekeeping gene. Mice were tested individually (n = 4). Dotted lines denote mRNA levels obtained from background-matched naive BAL cells. (C) Cellular infiltration in the airways after exposure to the pathogen. Shown are absolute numbers of total cells, mononuclear cells, neutrophils, and lymphocytes. Dotted lines denote cell numbers in naive animals. Data in C are mean ± SEM (n = 5).