Neobenedenia melleni-Specific Antibodies Are Associated with Protection after Continuous Exposure in Mozambique Tilapia

Figure 4

Relationship of specific mucosal antibodies to infection levels in continuously exposed tilapia as determined by nonparametric multivariate analysis. Antibody levels of mucus samples diluted 1 : 3 in PBS (optical density, 405 nm) and corresponding infection levels (parasites/cm fish) for individuals at each time point are indicated by × = 45 DPE, ▲ = 102 DPE, and ○ = 120 DPE. Mucosal antibodies and infection levels showed significant negative correlation (Kendall’s τ = −0.3006, , ).