Figure 2

Colonization capacity of H. heilmannii s.s. strains and gastric inflammation score after experimental infection. Colonization capacity is shown as log₁₀ values of H. heilmannii s.s. bacteria per mg tissue, detected with quantitative RT-PCR in the fundus (a) and the antrum (c) of the stomach and the duodenum (b). Results below detection limit (log 2.39 bacteria per mg tissue) were set as 0. Antral inflammation (d) was scored on a scale of 0 to 4 (0: no infiltration with mononuclear and/or polymorphonuclear cells; 1: mild diffuse infiltration with mononuclear and/or polymorphonuclear cells or the presence of one small (50–200 cells) aggregate of inflammatory cells; 2: moderate diffuse infiltration with mononuclear and/or polymorphonuclear cells and/or the presence of 2–4 inflammatory aggregates; 3: marked diffuse infiltration with mononuclear and/or polymorphonuclear cells and/or the presence of at least five inflammatory aggregates; 4: diffuse infiltration of large regions with large aggregates of mononuclear and/or polymorphonuclear cells).Individual gerbils are depicted as figures around the mean (lines). Statistical significant differences compared to control animals are indicated by * (Mann-Whitney U test, p < 0.05).