FIG 2.

Animals immunized with individual AuNP-coupled vaccines exhibited reduced EHEC colonization. The cecum, small intestine (SI), and large intestine (LI) from vaccinated animals (n = 5) were collected three (A, C, and E) and five (B, D, and F) days after EHEC challenge, processed, and plated to assess colonization. Numbers of adhered bacteria were determined per gram of tissue, and adhesion is shown on a log₁₀ scale. The bacterial limit of detection (LOD) was 10 CFU/organ. All colonization data are shown as means ± standard errors of the means (SEM) from results determined for each group. Significant differences in organ colonization were determined via one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test (*, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01).