Fig 9. Reduced cytokine expression in ΔfmvB-infected spleens on day 5 post-infection.

Groups of 8 female C3H/HeN mice were intranasally-infected with 10⁴ CFU of either WT (WT) LVS (18,850 CFU), ΔfmvA (19,750 CFU), or ΔfmvB (17,500 CFU). On days 2 and day 5 post-infection, lungs, livers, and spleens were harvested from 4 mice per group, tissues were homogenized, and 23 cytokines were quantitated from each tissue by multiplex cytokine analysis. Significant differences, compared to WT, are indicated by * (P < 0.05), ** (P < 0.01), or **** (P < 0.0001). Two independent experiments of similar design were performed to confirm reproducibility.