FIG 4.

Clinical score analysis. The clinical score is an aggregate assessment of postchallenge health indices related to anthrax disease. The health indices and their normal state or range were clinical observation (no observations), bacteremia (negative), CRP (<0.5 mg/dl), white blood cell count (2.90 × 10³ to 8.10 × 10³ cells/μl) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (<0.5). Each animal was assigned a value of 0 for a normal result and a value of 1 for an abnormal result for each assay on each of the indicated study days. The individual scores within a group were averaged, and the standard error for the group was calculated. Prechallenge baseline indices for each of the five parameters were on study day 69 or study day 70. For this study, bacteremia analysis was not performed prior to study day 71, so the maximum clinical score at baseline was 4 instead of 5. Vertical dotted line, time of challenge; error bars, standard error of the mean.