Depletion of CCR2⁺ cells enhanced viral loads in tissues and the severity of disease during acute CHIKV infection.

<p>WT (n = 9) or CCR2-DTR (n = 6) C57BL/6 mice were inoculated in the left rear footpad with 1,000 PFU of CHIKV. At days -1 and +2 relative to infection, mice were i.p. administered DT. (A) The percent starting body was determined daily. At 5 dpi, (B) viral RNA levels in the contralateral ankle were quantified by qRT-PCR and (C) infectious virus in the serum was quantified by plaque assay. Data are pooled from three independent experiments. <i>P</i> values were determined by a repeated measures two-way ANOVA with a Bonferroni’s multiple comparison test (A) and by Student’s t-test (B, C). *, <i>P</i> <0.05; **, <i>P</i> < 0.01; ***, <i>P</i> < 0.001.