Figure 3

Determination of specific markers by qPCR to assess the level of contamination of RNA extracted from milk fat globules by RNA from immune cells. Relative expression (± SEM) is given for specific gene markers for MEC CSN3 (κ-casein, green), CSN1S2 (α_s2-casein, blue), macrophages (CD68, red) and macrophages + neutrophils (CD18, orange) in the left half-udder (infected) or the right half-udder (uninfected), sampled at 30 hpi on slaughtered goats (mammary gland, left), and in milk fat globules (right), before infection (uninfected) and after IMI challenge with S. aureus (12 hpi, 18 hpi and 24 hpi). *Significance is relative to fold change in expression of uninfected MG (adjusted p-value < 0.05).