Gnotobiotic and Conventional Mouse Systems to Support Microbiota Based Studies

Animal models are essential to dissect host-microbiota interactions that impact health and the development of disease. In addition to providing pre-clinical models for the development of novel therapeutics and diagnostic biomarkers, mouse systems actively support microbiome studies by defining microbial contributions to normal development and homeostasis, as well as the role of microbes in promoting diseases such as inflammatory auto-immune disorders, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and susceptibility to infectious agents. Mice provide a genetically tenable host that can be reared under gnotobiotic (germ-free) conditions, allowing colonization studies with human- or mouse-origin defined or complex microbial communities to define specific in vivo effects. The protocols and background information detail key aspects to consider in designing host-microbiome experiments with mouse models, and in developing robust systems that leverage gnotobiotic mice, microbial consortia, and specific environmental perturbations to identify causal effects in vivo. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.