Figure 1From: Occludin and collagen IV degradation mediated by the T9SS effector SspA contributes to blood–brain barrier damage in ducks during Riemerella anatipestifer infectionBacterial loads in the brain and BBB permeability in ducks post R. anatipestifer infection. A The bacterial load in the brain tissues of ducks infected with Yb2, Yb2ΔsspA, and cYb2ΔsspA was measured 24 and 48 h post-infection. The data are presented as the means ± standard deviations of ten animals from triplicate experiments. Statistical significance was assessed using two-tailed Student’s t test. The asterisks indicate the level of statistical significance (**, p < 0.01; ****, p < 0.0001). B Three ducks each from Groups 1–4 were injected intravenously with 2% Evans blue solution (0.15 mL) and sacrificed 2 h post-injection. Representative images are shown in the figure. Blue staining in the brain indicates that the BBB was destroyed during infection. C The amounts of Evans blue dye in the brains of ducklings infected with different strains. The data are presented as the means ± standard deviations of three animals from triplicate experiments. Statistical significance was assessed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The asterisks indicate the level of statistical significance (*, p < 0.05). ns: not significant.Back to article page