Fig 1.
Bioluminescence dissemination of Leptospira in hamsters.
(A) The survival rate of Golden Syrian hamsters (n = 8) infected subcutaneously with 104 L. interrogans strain M1307 into the right inguinal region, and representative ventral view photographic images tracking the hamster infections on different days post-infection. Images depict photographs overlaid with color representations of luminescence intensity, measured in photons/second/cm2/sr as indicated on the scales, where red is the most intense (3×105) and purple is the least intense (3×104). (B,C) Average luminescence intensities in each ROI of injection site (B) and abdominal center (C) at different days post-infection. Data are expressed as the means ± SEM of total flux in photons/second in each ROI in eight infected hamsters (●) and two uninfected controls (◦). p values (*p<0.05), between groups.
Fig 2.
Bioluminescence changes in hamster organs.
Representative bioluminescence images (ventral view) from M1307-infected hamsters at each phase. Images represent subcutaneous tissues after skin incision and organs after laparotomy, as well as ex vivo organs (blood plus liver and kidney cross sections). The scale is the same as in Fig 1.
Table 1.
Number of culture-positive blood or organs collected from three hamsters infected with M1307.
Fig 3.
Leptospira distribution in skin and subcutaneous tissue.
Representative light field (A, C) and fluorescence images (B, D) of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (A, B) or adipose tissue (C, D) around the injection sites of M1307 collected from infected hamsters at phase 4. Fluorescence images (B, D) showing cell nuclei stained with DAPI (blue), autofluorescence of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (green, not shown in panel D), and leptospires stained with rabbit polyclonal antiserum and Cy5-conjugated anti-rabbit monoclonal antibody (red). The framed area in (B) is enlarged at the upper right. Scale bars: 100 μm (A, B), 500 μm (C, D).
Fig 4.
Transmission electron microscopy of adipose tissue blood vessels.
Representative transmission electron microscope images of subcutaneous adipose tissue blood vessels around the injection sites of Leptospira-infected hamsters at phase 4. The framed area in (A) is enlarged in (B). The scale bars represent 5 μm (A) and 1 μm (B). The arrowheads point to Leptospira and the arrows show the red blood cells.