Figure 1

Prime-boost strategy-induced protection against M. tuberculosis challenge. Groups of 7 BALB/c mice were immunized as shown in Table 1. Control mice received PBS prior to infection (infected group). (A) Fifteen days after the last immunization, the mice were challenged with M. tuberculosis. Thirty days later, the number of live bacteria in the lungs was determined and expressed as CFU/lung. (B, C) Sixty days after the last immunization, the mice were challenged and 30 (B) and 70 (C) days later, the number of CFU was determined. Bars represent the mean ± standard deviation. (A) ◆ all immunized-infected mice vs infected mice. * BCGin/DNA vs BCGsc, BCGin, DNA-HSP65 and BCGsc/DNA. (B) ◆ BCGin/DNA, DNA-HSP65 and BCGin vs infected mice. * BCGin/DNA vs BCGsc, BCGin and DNA-HSP65. (C) ◆ BCGin, DNA-HSP65 and BCGin/DNA vs infected mice. * BCGin/DNA vs BCGsc and DNA-HSP65. p < 0.05 was considered significant. Data are representative of two experiments.