Chlamydial Type III Secretion System Needle Protein Induces Protective Immunity against Chlamydia muridarum Intravaginal Infection

Figure 6

Prime-boost immunization with Ad-TC_0037/rTC0037-MPLA enhances clearance of intravaginal Chlamydia muridarum in BALB/c mice. Depo-Provera-treated BALB/c mice ( per group) were infected intravaginally with 10⁶ IFU of C. muridarum strain Nigg 2 weeks after the boost. The vaginal vaults of mice were sampled using individual swabs at days 3 to 20 after challenge, and vaginal chlamydial loads were quantified using an in vitro infection assay and immunofluorescent microscopy. Individual and median values of C. muridarum loads measured at days 9 (a), 15 (b), and 20 (c) after infection are presented ( ≤ 0.005, ≤ 0.01).

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