FIG. 3.
TNF-α profiles in serum with time for CF-1 mice challenged i.p. with 4 × 109 CFU of bacteria per kg plus saline vehicle (○) or plus 20 mg of imipenem per kg (●). Imipenem or saline vehicle was given by separate i.p. injection at the time of challenge. Blood was collected from the trunk following decapitation. Five mice were used per datum point per experiment. Two experiments were performed per profile. Data are means ± SEM. ∗∗, P < 0.005. (A) S. aureus M. (B) E. coli O111:B4. In the absence of bacterial treatment, TNF-α was undetectable in serum, with or without the imipenem treatment. Conditions of bacterial growth are as described in Materials and Methods. The inset includes the same data from 0 to 3 h but with the scale of the ordinate axis expanded threefold.