Table 1. Basal values of LF and EF assays in plasma and ear matrix during cutaneous infection with the LF- and EF-deleted B. anthracis 9602LC strain.

Time after infection	Plasma			Ear
	CFUa	EF assayb	LF assayb	CFUc	EF assayd	LF assayd
1 h	<1 (22)	0.14 ± 0.05 (16)	1.91 ± 0.11 (9)	2.18 ± 0.73 (17)	−2.92 ± 0.06 (18)	3.96 ± 0.07 (7)
41 h	6.03 ± 2.26 (12)	−0.1 ± 0.11 (15)	1.89 ± 0.10 (12)	4.65 ± 0.7 (20)	−2.79 ± 0.22 (24)	3.64 ± 0.13 (17)

Data are expressed as mean ± SEM, ^alog₁₀ CFU/ml, ^bbasal values in the EF and LF assays log₁₀ pg/ml, ^clog₁₀ CFU/ear tissue sample, ^dbasal values in the EF and LF assays log₁₀ pg/ear tissue sample; number of samples (n) in brackets. Mice were inoculated into the subcutis of the ear pinna with spores of the LF- and EF-deleted 9602LC strain. At 1 h and 41 h of infection, total CFU were enumerated in the plasma and the inoculated ear cutaneous tissue (threshold values 1 log₁₀ in the blood and 0.9 log₁₀ in the ear tissue). Basal values in the EF and LF assays were determined in the same samples as described in the Material and Methods section. From these values obtained in the matrix from mice infected with an LF- and EF-deleted B. anthracis strain, thresholds for EF and LF were thus determined to be 0.4 and 2.6 log₁₀ pg/ml respectively in the plasma, and −0.47 and 4.2 log₁₀ pg/ear respectively in the ear cutaneous tissue.