FIG 2.
Median lethal dose comparison for B. mallei WT and mutant strains. BALB/c mice were inoculated intratracheally using a Microsprayer device to aerosolize the indicated numbers of bacterial CFU into the lungs (n = 5 mice/dose). The animals were then monitored daily for clinical signs of illness and morbidity. (A) Kaplan-Meier survival curves. (B) Calculated LD50 values (by the method of Reed and Muench). (C and D) Tissues were collected from mice that survived challenge (day 25), homogenized, diluted, and spread on agar plates to determine bacterial loads. The symbols represent data for individual animals; the horizontal lines represent the mean total number of CFU for each group.