Figure 4.

Evaluation of the role of gut bacteria in disease progression in MNV-4–infected Stat1^−/− mice. Stat1^−/− animals, aged 7 and 8 weeks, were gavaged with either control (flavored vehicle without antibiotics) or antibiotic solution for 5 days and then placed on antibiotic water for 3 more days before gavage with MNV-4 or lysate. Antibiotic water was continued for the duration of the experiment (20 days p.i.). Possible score range for each tissue is indicated on the y axis (parentheses). Mesenteric lymph node (MLN) inflammation score is the summed adenitis and lymphangitis scores of MLN and any associated mesentery. Antibiotic treatment (Abx) does not produce significant differences in disease severity in MNV-4–infected mice. Significant pairwise comparisons are shown (U-test). ^∗P < 0.05, ^∗∗P < 0.01, and ^∗∗∗P < 0.001.