Cage regime

Microbiota composition of simultaneously colonized mice housed under either a gnotobiotic isolator or individually ventilated cage regime

Randi Lundberg^1,2, Martin I. Bahl³, Tine R. Licht³, Martin F. Toft², & Axel K. Hansen¹

¹Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark. ²Internal Research and Development, Taconic Biosciences, 4623 Lille Skensved, Denmark. ³National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, 2860 Søborg, Denmark

Germ-free rodents colonized with microbiotas of interest are used for host-microbiota investigations and for testing microbiota-targeted therapeutic candidates. Traditionally, isolators are used for housing such gnotobiotic rodents due to optimal protection from the environment, but research groups focused on the microbiome are increasingly combining or substituting isolator housing with individually ventilated cage (IVC) systems. We compared the effect of housing systems on the gut microbiota composition of germ-free mice colonized with a complex microbiota and housed in either multiple IVC cages in an IVC facility or in multiple open-top cages in an isolator during three generations and five months.

Scientific Reports  DOI:  10.1038/srep42245