Growth kinetics of <i>M</i>. <i>tuberculosis</i> Δ<i>pstA2</i> and Δ<i>pstA1</i>Δ<i>pstA2</i> mutants in aerosol-infected mice.

<p>Mice were aerosol-infected with ~100 CFU of <i>M</i>. <i>tuberculosis</i> WT (squares), Δ<i>pstA2</i> (circles), or Δ<i>pstA1</i>Δ<i>pstA2</i> (triangles). Groups of mice (n = 4) were sacrificed at the indicated time points. Bacterial CFU were enumerated by plating serially diluted lung homogenates on 7H10 agar and incubating 3–4 weeks at 37°C. All mouse strains were on the C57BL/6 background. Symbols represent means; error bars indicate standard error of the mean. Asterisks indicate statistically significant differences between WT and Δ<i>pstA1</i>Δ<i>pstA2</i>: *<i>P</i> < 0.05, **<i>P</i> < 0.005, ***<i>P</i> < 0.0005. No significant differences in pulmonary CFU were observed between the WT and Δ<i>pstA2</i> strains. (<b>A</b>) IFN-γ^-/-, (<b>B</b>) Irgm1^-/-, (<b>C</b>) NOS2^-/-, (<b>D</b>) C57BL/6.