Increased systemic RNA oxidative damage and diagnostic value of RNA oxidative metabolites during Shigella flexneri-induced intestinal infection

Figure 1 Pathogen colonization, intestinal inflammation, and changes in the white blood cell count and C-reactive protein level after Shigellaflexneri infection in rats. A: Quantitative detection of Shigella flexneri (S. flexneri) in feces of Sprague-Dawley rats after infection; B-G: Representative hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining (100 × magnification) of colon tissue from control and S. flexneri-infected groups; B: H&E staining of normal colon tissue in the control group; C: H&E staining of colon tissue after S. flexneri infection at day 1; D: H&E staining of colon tissue on day 5; E: H&E staining of colon tissue on day 9; F: H&E staining of colon tissue on day 18; G: Inflammation scores of the control and infection groups at different time points; H: White blood cells counts in the S. flexneri infection and control groups; I: C-reactive protein in the S. flexneri infection and control groups. ^aP < 0.05; ^bP < 0.01; and ^cP < 0.001. Scale bar, 100 μm. Black arrows indicate inflammatory cell infiltration. PBS: Phosphate-buffered saline; WBC: White blood cell; CRP: C-reactive protein; CFU: Colony-forming units; S. flexneri: Shigella flexneri.