Fig. 1

The impact of cyanocobalamin supplementation on survival and early onset of C. rodentium infection in C3H/HeOuJ mice. a Supplementing cyanocobalamin in drinking water increased cecal and colon levels of cobalamin by ~1000 times (n = 15; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01). b Daily fecal enumeration of C. rodentium in the EPC experiment indicated increased colonization burden at day 2 postinfection (D2PI) and D3PI from cyanocobalamin supplementation (n = 8; #P < 0.10, * P < 0.05). c Enumeration of C. rodentium at D5PI in the ileum and cecum was more consistent with cyanocobalamin supplementation, but colonization levels were similar (n = 8). d Consistent with the more rapid colonization, the SURV experiment revealed an earlier onset of mortality, reducing mice survival over the first 10-day postinfection (n = 9; P < 0.05; Mantel-Cox test). e Colon pathology scores at D5PI in naïve and infected mice show that cyanocobalamin significantly increased mucosal and epithelial damage (*) compared to infected control mice (n = 8; P < 0.05; limit of detection (LOD))