Figure 5.
Zinc does not alter in vivo colonization. (A) Mice were inoculated intranasally with the colonizing strain of EF3030 grown in either 0 or 250 μM zinc (2 × 105 CFU/10 μL). One group was sacrificed at day 3; a second group was treated with a zinc booster of 0 or 250 μM PBS 3 days post-inoculation. Six days post-inoculation, remaining mice were sacrificed. Nasal washes and tissues were collected from each animal, homogenized, serially diluted, and plated. Colony counts of nasal tissues and nasal washes were combined to determine representative values of pneumococci colonizing. Results were pooled from three independent experiments. Statistical analysis of colonization at (A) 3 days post-inoculation revealed p = 0.0853; whereas, analysis of colonization at (B) 6 days post-inoculation revealed p = 0.1359.