Association of Germfree Mice With Bacteria Isolated From Normal Mice

Schaedler, Russell W.; Dubos, René; Costello, Richard

doi:10.1084/jem.122.1.77

Cited by 235 publications

(160 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Susceptibility gradually decreased to that of untreated mice and decrease was even more rapid when normal mice were housed together with streptomycin-treated animals. Furthermore, though coliform bacilli multiplied extensively and persisted in all parts of the gastro-intestinal tract of germ-free mice, their numbers fell precipitously when these mice were fed the intestinal contents of healthy pathogen-free mice (Schaedler, Dubos & Costello, 1965). These data clearly demonstrate the important role of the resident intestinal flora in host resistance to orally introduced organisms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Lactobacilli and Bacteroides, the predominant anaerobes of conventional mice, are absent and the major constituents are tapered rods belonging to the genus Clostridium (Wensinck & Ruseler-van Embden, 1971). The inability of lactobacilli and Bacteroides to reduce coli populations in gnotobiotic mice (Schaedler et al 1965) supports the view that in conventional animals CR is also induced by one or more of the five anaerobes present in CRF-mice. Results from preliminary experiments with germ-free mice contaminated with various combinations of these species strongly suggest that CR is due to the presence of a large, Gram-labile tapered Clostridium.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

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Colonization resistance of the digestive tract in conventional and antibiotic-treated mice

Waaij

Vries

Wees

1971

J. Hyg.

770

378

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SUMMARYThe effect of oral administration of antibiotics on the intestinal flora of conventional mice and their resistance to colonization by orally introduced Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was studied. Colonization resistance (CR) was expressed as the log of the oral bacterial dose followed by a persistent take in 50 % of the contaminated animals. The intestinal flora was virtually eliminated by the antibiotics and this elimination was accompanied by a precipitous fall of CR. CR gradually returned to normal values during the period of repopulation of the intestinal tract by the organisms surviving the treatment. Antibiotic treatment resulted in the disappearance of Enterobacteriaceae, enterococci, staphylococci and yeasts and, under appropriate housing conditions, the animals remained free of these organisms indefinitely. Germ-free mice contaminated with the intestinal flora of an antibiotic-treated animal and their offspring housed in a germ-free isolator showed high values of CR. Their intestinal flora consisted of anaerobic bacteria only. Apparently, these anaerobes are responsible for CR in these and in conventional mice.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Colonization resistance of the digestive tract in conventional and antibiotic-treated mice

Waaij

Vries

Wees

1971

J. Hyg.

770

378

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“…In the course of the present investigation, it was observed that young NCS mice retained a high degree of susceptibility to E. coli implantation for longer than a week after lactobacilli and enterococci had extensively colonized the gastrointestinal tract. Similarly, the establishment and extensive multiplication of lactobacilli, anaerobic streptococci, enterococci, and bacteroides in germfree mice failed to affect the population size and organ distribution of coliforms (SLF) subsequently introduced (6). On the basis of these two independent groups of observation, it seems necessary to postulate that the indigenous microbiota exerts its antagonistic effect through microbial species which are susceptible to streptomycin but have not yet been identified.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been found, for example, that when germfree mice are contaminated with coliforms (SLF) isolated from ordinary mice, these organisms invade the whole gastrointestinal tract and persist in it at very high population levels. However, the populations of coliforms fall to very low levels within a few days after the animals have been further contaminated with the intestinal contents of ordinary mice (6).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Colonization of the Mouse Intestine With Escherichia Coli

Mushin

Dubos

1965

The Journal of Experimental Medicine

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Although enteropathogenic strains of Esckerickia coli are a frequent cause of disease in human infants, it has proven difficult to establish experimental infections in animals with these organisms. The most successful results so far have been obtained by feeding cultures to mice treated with antibacterial drugs prior to the test in order to suppress their indigenous intestinal flora (1). Useful as it is, this method is obviously artificial and fails to reproduce the conditions under which the disease is commonly observed in man. The availability at The Rockefeller University of a colony of mice (NCS) maintained under so called "specific pathogen-free" conditions, and especially free of E. coli, prompted us to investigate whether these animals would prove more receptive to human strains of E. coli than mice raised under usual conditions.The experiments reported in the present paper were carried out with a culture of E. coli, serotype 026: K60 (026: B6). This type has been found to be associated with infantile diarrhea and is also occasionally recovered from animals (2); the strain used here was isolated from an infant. While the ultimate purpose of our study was to determine whether NCS mice can be used to differentiate virulent enteropathogenic strains of E. coli from ordinary strains, it seems worthwhile reporting at this time a finding of more general importance. It was found namely that the age of the animal host has a profound effect on the ability of the bacteria to colonize the intestine and on their persistence in this organ. Colonization uniformly took place when very young mice received E. coli per os, whereas adult animals usually failed to become infected under the same conditions. Indeed the population of E. coli in the gastrointestinal tract abruptly fell to very low levels around the time of weaning.

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“…Therefore, it seems reasonable to conclude that most if not all of the species present were cultivated. Evidently, this flora is different from the anaerobic intestinal flora of man and conventional mice in which anaerobic lactobacilli (bifidobacteria) and Bacteroides species predominate (Schaedler, Dubos & Costello, 1965;van Houte & Gibbons, 1966;Drasar, 1967; Lee, Gordon & Dubos, 1968;van der Wiel-Korstanje & Winkler, 1970). These organisms were not isolated from the mice studied.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The intestinal flora of colonization-resistant mice

Wensinck¹,

Embden²

1971

J. Hyg.

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SUMMARYTo facilitate the isolation of anaerobes from cultures in which swarming organisms were present Roux flasks were adapted to provide anaerobic conditions. Using these flasks, five species of anaerobes were isolated from the caecum of mice resistant to colonization with Escherichia coli and other Gram-negative organisms. These species accounted for the majority of organisms seen in films of caecal material. No aerobes were isolated and the flora of these mice apparently consisted of a limited number of anaerobes representing part of the intestinal flora of conventional mice. Three of the species were clostridia and another was identified as Propionibacterium acnes. One species resembled Catenabacterium but was not identified. One of the Clostridium species could only be isolated when the medium was supplemented with yeast extract and vitamins. This species sporulated on media with ammonium phosphate as the source of nitrogen; tryptone completely suppressed sporulation.

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Association of Germfree Mice With Bacteria Isolated From Normal Mice

Abstract: Several species of animals have been raised and made to reproduce under germfree conditions. While the animals so produced seem to have a normal fife span, they exhibit histological, anatomical, and physiological characteristics , . J

Cited by 235 publications

References 8 publications

Colonization resistance of the digestive tract in conventional and antibiotic-treated mice

Colonization resistance of the digestive tract in conventional and antibiotic-treated mice

Colonization of the Mouse Intestine With Escherichia Coli

The intestinal flora of colonization-resistant mice

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