Fig 4.

Challenge of chickens with G. anatis 12656-12 and immunization with recombinant FlfA. (A) Chickens were challenged intraperitoneally with G. anatis 12656-12 or ΔflfA mutant and subjected to postmortem examination at 24 h after inoculation. Gross lesions in the reproductive organs and in the peritoneum were evaluated using a scale from 0 to 4 based on the severity, distribution, and characteristics of the lesions. The median is given for each group (horizontal bars). A significant difference was found between the scores in the two groups (P = 0.006). (B) Chickens were immunized twice with 200 μg of recombinant FlfA (immunized) or sham immunized with placebo (nonimmunized), followed by challenge with G. anatis 12656-12. The scores are as described in panel A, showing a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.008).