α-DEC-ESAT-treated mice show reduced bacterial burden and increased cellular infiltrate in the lungs.

<p>Pulmonary mycobacterial load (CFUs/lung) and cellular infiltrate (% pneumonic areas) were quantified at two time points during Mtb infection in the different experimental groups. Horizontally stripped bars indicate uninfected non-immunized mice (No-Inf). All other bars represent infected mice with different treatments. Black bars: untreated mice (Inf/No Tx); white bars: α-DEC-ESAT-treated mice (Inf/DE6-Tx); diagonally stripped bars: mice treated with isotype control antibody-ESAT (Inf/IsoE6-Tx). Quantification of the cellular infiltrate during the acute infection is shown in (A) while that of the chronic stage is shown in (C). The bacterial burden expressed as CFUs per lung is shown in (B) for the acute stage of the infection and in (D) for the chronic phase. (E) Representative picture of HE staining of lungs from infected mice which were α-DEC-ESAT-untreated (-) or α-DEC-ESAT-treated (+). Individual lungs were analyzed by duplicate and 3 mice were used per group. Data are presented as mean plus standard error. (*) Represents P<0.05.