FIG 4.
Abilities of C. muridarum with or without mutations in tc0668 to ascend to the oviduct and spread to GI tract tissues following transcervical inoculation. The wild-type (G13.32.1, n = 4, panel a) or attenuated mutant (G13.11.1, n = 4, c) C. muridarum clone was transcervically inoculated into female C3H/HeJ mice. On day 14 after inoculation, mice were sacrificed for harvesting of genital tract tissues, which were divided into the vagina/cervix (VC), uterine horn (UH), and oviduct/ovary (OV), and GI tract tissues, which were divided into the stomach (ST), small intestine (SI), cecum (CE), colon (CO), and anus-rectum (RE), as displayed on the x axis, for measurement of live organisms. Vaginal and rectal swabs taken prior to mouse sacrifice were also monitored. Live-organism titers, expressed as log10 IFU counts per tissue sample, are displayed on the y axis. Live organisms from vaginal swabs along with VC are designated the lower genital tract (LGT), while those from UH and OV are designated the upper genital tract (UGT). *, P < 0.05 (a versus b in corresponding tissues/swabs, Wilcoxon rank sum test); ns, not significant.