FIG 5.
Capillary vessels in gastrocnemius after experimental infection with a sublethal inoculum of C. perfringens. Groups of 3 CD-1 mice were injected intramuscularly with 1 × 106 CFU of C. perfringens. (A) Sections from muscle samples collected 6 h, 1 day, and 30 days after injection were stained with anti-Flk-1 antibodies for detection by immunofluorescence. Arrowheads indicate areas without capillaries at 6 h and 1 day postinfection, while arrows point to the presence of capillaries in fibrotic areas at 30 days postinfection. Bars, 100 μm. (B and C) The numbers of capillaries per area (B) and per myofiber (C) were determined at different times after infection. Controls were injected with sterile PBS. Results show means ± SE. *, P < 0.05 for samples with a statistically significant difference compared with the control.