Figure 5.

The CD4/CD8 T cell ratio and the proportion of Ly6C^low monocytes correlate with the extent of aortic plaque by week 16. Ldlr^-/- mice were inoculated with M. bovis BCG (0.3–3.0x10⁶ CFU) via the intranasal route. Mice were fed a western-type diet for 16 weeks. Age-matched uninfected Ldlr ^-/- mice fed with an identical diet served as controls. (A) Spearman correlation of blood CD4/CD8 T cell ratios with aorta plaque ratio. (B) Aorta plaque ratio in mice grouped as below or above CD4/CD8 ratio mean. (C) Spearman correlation of the proportion of Ly6C^low monocytes and aorta plaque ratio. (D) Aorta plaque ratio in mice grouped as below or above mean proportion of Ly6C^low monocytes in blood. n = 40; data are pooled from 2 independent experiments. Significance was determined by Spearman’s correlation test for (A, C). Significance was determined using Student’s t-test for (B, D). ***p < 0.001.