Figure 2.

Deletion of rpoE reduces RS218 survival in the blood and penetration of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). (A) Magnitude of bacteremia in BALB/c mice. Bacterial counts in the blood (log CFU/mL) were determined. (B) Blood samples were collected for bacteremia measurement, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected and cultured to assess the passage of bacteria through the BBB. (C) The brains were collected after the mice were intravenously inoculated with bacteria and were sectioned for immunofluorescent staining. E. coli K1 (green) and nuclei (blue) are shown. Arrows indicate bacteria. Scale bar, 20 μm. The data represent the mean ± standard deviation from three independent experiments performed in triplicate. *** p < 0.001 by Student’s t-test, ns, not significant.