Figure 5A depicts the relative fold change in hBMEC transcript levels upon infection with B. anthracis Sterne or ΔpXO1 mutant bacteria compared to the uninfected control. As was observed in our microarray studies, the transcript levels of IL-8, CXCL1 and CXCL2 were significantly downregulated in cells infected with B. anthracis Sterne compared to uninfected control or hBMEC infected with the ΔpXO1 strain (Fig. 5A). Here, CXCL8 is linked to infection.