FIG. 1.

Experimental design and the effect of etanercept on the response of rabbits to Mtb infection. (A) Schema showing the design of rabbit infection, treatment, and sample collection time points. (B) Bacillary load (CFU) in the lungs. *Statistically significant difference between etanercept-treated and untreated rabbits after 8 weeks of treatment (ie, 12 weeks postinfection). (C) Number of dorsal subpleural lesions (left axis, hatched bars) and percent of the lung sections occupied by granulomatous lesions (right axis, gray bars) at 4 and 12 weeks postinfection. Statistically significant differences in the numbers of lesions (*) and lung involvement (**) were observed between etanercept-treated and control rabbits after 8 weeks of treatment (ie, 12 weeks postinfection). CFU, colony forming units; Mtb, Mycobacterium tuberculosis.