Fig. 7

Mean relative mouse weights and spore counts after C. difficile CD3017 challenge. Mice were administered a five-antibiotic cocktail in drinking water ad libitum for 3, 4, or 5 days followed by an IP injection of clindamycin (10 mg kg⁻¹). Twenty-four hours after IP injection mice were challenged with the clinical NAP1/B1/027 ribotype strain, CD3017 (n = 6 for each group). Fecal samples were homogenized in 500 μl PBS and heated to 65 °C for 30 min to kill vegetative cells. Samples were serially diluted and plated in replicate on TCCFA plates to enumerate C. difficile spore numbers. Shaded area and error bars indicate standard deviation from mean. *1/6, 3/6, and 2/6 mice became moribund in the 3-, 4-, and 5-day Abx groups, respectively. ND spores non-detectable