Quantification of cytokine gene expression in kidney tissues of hamsters infected with <i>L</i>. <i>interrogans</i> serovars Manilae or Hebdomadis at 96 h pi.

<p>Cytokine gene expression in kidney tissues of hamsters infected with strains of <i>L</i>. <i>interrogans</i> serovars Manilae (filled boxes) or Hebdomadis (open boxes) was quantified at 96 h pi using real-time PCR (2^−ΔΔCt method). The bottom, median, and top lines of the box indicate the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles, respectively. The vertical line with whiskers shows the range of values. The expression of cytokine genes in panel B was below the detection limit in control hamsters. Experiments were performed in duplicate using two independently extracted RNA samples for each hamster; each circle indicates the average of two experiments and gene expression relative to control hamsters (A) or hamsters infected with serovar Hebdomadis (B). The dotted line indicates the expression level in control (A) or Hebdomadis-infected (B) hamsters. Data out of the range of values were excluded from statistical analysis.