S3 Fig -

<b>Dose-dependent induction of disease pathology by DLD KO parasites.</b> Six- to eight-week-old Balb/c mice (n = 6-8 per group) were infected in the left hind footpad with either 1×10⁶ wild-type (WT) parasites or 5–10 (1-10 x 10⁶) times higher doses of DLD knockout (KO) parasites. Lesion development was monitored weekly using digital calipers (A). At 4 weeks post-infection, the mice were sacrificed, and parasite burden was quantified by limiting dilution (B). **, p < 0.01; ****, p < 0.0001. (DOCX)