<i>C. rodentium</i> density, colitis score and mucus thickness and growth during infection.

<p>A: Colony forming units (CFU) of <i>C. rodentium</i> were analyzed in fecal pellets collected from individual mice. Compared to non-infected, all time points had an increased amount of <i>C. rodentium</i> (p<0.05). The total amount of luminal bacteria in the distal colon was scored in DAPI stained sections: Score 3 = same density as non-infected animals, 2 = medium density, 1 = low density and 0 = no bacteria detected (*p<0.05). Statistics: ANOVA, Dunnet’s post hoc test. B: The thickness of mucus layer changed during infection with lowest thickness between day 4 to 10 and the highest at day 14 post infection, whereas goblet cells depletion and colitis increased to the highest score at day 10 and 14 post infection, respectively. C: The thickness of the inner mucus layer changed during the course of infection, and reached its highest thickness at the start of the decrease in fecal <i>C. rodentium</i> density (CFU/gram feces). The distal colon explant was mounted and the thickness measured with a scaled micropipette, p<0.05 # vs day 14 and 19, * vs day 0. C: The <i>ex vivo</i> growth of the adherent mucus layer measured for the first 15 minutes after mounting the distal colon tissue. No significant differences were observed between the different time points (n = 5–12). Statistics: ANOVA, Tukey’s post hoc test.