FIGURE 1.

Vaccine-associated inhibition of infection in the cervix and vagina. (a) Founder population of SIV RNA⁺ cells (green) detected by ISH in the cervix of an unvaccinated animal 4 days after high dose vaginal inoculation with SIV_mac251. (b) Small focus of SIV RNA⁺ cells (encircled) in a vaccinated animal at 4 days after vaginal challenge with SIV as described in (a). (c) Local expansion of SIV RNA⁺ cells in the cervix, naïve control, at day 10, peak viral replication. (d) No local expansion in vaccinated animals post vaginal challenge. Three SIV RNA⁺ cells encircled. (e, f) Copies of SIV_mac251/µg cervical and vaginal tissue RNA, plotted against days post vaginal challenge through peak. Filled or unfilled black and gray circles represent individual unvaccinated animal controls (10). Copy numbers for individual vaccinated animals are indicated by colored symbols. The curved line depicts an in vivo growth curve for these tissues in unvaccinated animals. The black dotted lines indicate the limits of detection of the assays at the times they were performed.