Germ-free organisms are multi-cellular organisms that have no microorganisms living in or on them. Such organisms are raised using various methods to control their exposure to viral, bacterial or parasitic agents.[1] When known microbiota are introduced to a germ-free organism, it usually is referred to as a gnotobiotic organism, however technically speaking, germ-free organisms are also gnotobiotic because the status of their microbial community is known.[2] Due to lacking a microbiome, many germ-free organisms exhibit health deficits such as defects in the immune system and difficulties with energy acquisition.[3][4] Typically germ-free organisms are used in the study of a microbiome where careful control of outside contaminants is required.[5]
- ^ "Germ Free Mouse Facility". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 30 October 2015.
- ^ Reyniers JA (1959). "Germfree Vertebrates: Present Status". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 78 (1): 3. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.1959.tb53091.x. S2CID 84048961.
- ^ Boulangé CL, Neves AL, Chilloux J, Nicholson JK, Dumas ME (April 2016). "Impact of the gut microbiota on inflammation, obesity, and metabolic disease". Genome Medicine. 8 (1): 42. doi:10.1186/s13073-016-0303-2. PMC 4839080. PMID 27098727.
- ^ Round JL, Mazmanian SK (May 2009). "The gut microbiota shapes intestinal immune responses during health and disease". Nature Reviews. Immunology. 9 (5): 313–23. doi:10.1038/nri2515. PMC 4095778. PMID 19343057.
- ^ Armbrecht J (2 August 2000). "Of Probiotics and Possibilities". Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.
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