Figure 7.
Germ-free B6.129P2-IL-10tm1Cgn (IL-10−/−) mice were colonized at 6–8 weeks of age with Lactobacillus reuteri (Lr), Helicobacter hepaticus (Hh) or L. reuteri followed in 1 week by H. hepaticus (LrHh) then killed and examined post-mortem at 8–11 weeks post-infection (p.i.). Mean fold-change of mRNA expression in caecal–colonic tissue for select toll-like receptors (TLR) from mice infected with L. reuteri, H. hepaticus or co-infected with both for 8–11 weeks p.i. TLR4, TLR6, TLR8 and TLR9 were up-regulated at least twofold by co-infection with LrHh compared with other infection groups (P < 0.05). Significant comparisons are indicated by asterisks (*). TLR4 gene expression increased threefold in response to L. reuteri mono-association which was similar to the fourfold increase noted in co-infected mice.