It is well documented that the microbiome can impact both the development of disease and the efficacy of therapeutics. The microbiome also is consistently cited as a significant contributor to preclinical study variability and reproducibility, in part due to its effects on a mouse model’s predictability. With a strong incentive to better understand the role of the microbiome in disease development and treatment, the research community continues to seek novel models that leverage the microbiome in ways that increase study reproducibility and translatability. Associating germ-free mice with defined microbial compositions is one approach that is helping investigators achieve this goal.
Germ-free mice (those devoid of any detectable microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, with the exception of endogenous viral elements) are ideal hosts for transplanting microbial communities and evaluating their properties.
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