FIG 6.
Mouse dental colonization model. (A) Mice were provided with a cariogenic diet, infected orally with S. mutans MT8148 for 6 days (8 × 108 CFU/mouse/day), and treated with ClyR (5 μg/mouse/day) once a day for 3 weeks. Starting on the first day that ClyR was administered, the viable cell count within dental plaques collected from each mouse by use of oral swabs was calculated, and the plaques were plated for 5 weeks. PBS-treated groups were used as controls. (B) Body weight of mice during the experiment. (C and D) Test of immunity induced by ClyR-specific antibodies. After ClyR treatment, mouse serum (C) or saliva (D) was collected weekly, and the titers of the ClyR-specific antibodies in each sample were detected by ELISA. * and **, P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively.