FIG 10.
The bacterial loads of AMPR mutants in reproductive tissues. Wild-type S. Enteritidis (ZM100) and S. Enteritidis ΔvirK (ZM122), ΔybjX (ZM123), ΔvirK ΔybjX (ZM124), ΔvirK pWSKVirK (ZM122C), and ΔybjX pWSKYbjX (ZM123C) were used to orally infect 21-week-old laying hens (12 hens per strain) at a dose of 5 × 109 CFU per hen. Oviducts (isthmus) and ovaries were collected at 5 and 10 dpi, homogenized, and plated to determine S. Enteritidis loads. (A) Oviduct (isthmus) at 5 dpi. (B) Ovary at 5 dpi. (C) Oviduct (isthmus) at 10 dpi. (D) Ovary at 10 dpi. Each dot represents the bacterial load in an individual bird, each bar represents the average bacterial load in an individual group, and a single asterisk denotes statistical significance (P < 0.05).