Figure 5.

Serum cytokine levels and bacterial loads in paraoxon-treated, infected mice. Mice were treated with paraoxon or saline for 3 weeks and then infected with strain SL1344 of Salmonella typhimurium. Serum was collected at days 3, 6 and 9 after infection and levels of interleukin-12 (IL-12)/IL-23p40 were analysed (a). The levels of bacterial load in spleen (b) and mesenteric lymph nodes (c) were investigated on day 9 after inoculation with 1·1 × 10⁴ SL1344 organisms/mouse. Each data-point represents the mean ± SEM of six to nine mice per group (a) or five mice per group (b,c). Asterisks denote significant differences between the control and experimental groups (*P < 0·05, **P < 0·01). The results are pooled from two independent experiments.