Fig. 6.

Vaccine efficacy during the acute phase of T. cruzi infection. Vaccinated C3H mice were challenged 30 days after the last dose with a lethal intraperitoneal (i.p.) dose of T. cruzi RA strain trypomastigotes and analyzed for: parasitemia (a), body weight loss (b) and survival (c), n = 6 per group, **p < 0.01, Log-Rank Test, ns: not significant vs. control. Footpad challenge of the indicated groups with trypomastigotes of the CL-tdTomato strain. Mean fluorescence intensity of feet determined by in-vivo imaging, between 1 and 10 dpi (d). Representative images from 4 to 9 dpi showing the control of parasite replication at the site of infection in vaccinated animals (e). Area under the curve of fluorescence per site of infection (n = 12) (f). Footpad swelling at 6 dpi (g). Footpad diameter was measured using a caliper. Data show the mean difference between day 0 and 6 per mouse. **P < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, Mann–Whitney test. The results are representative of at least three independent experiments