Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026
08:14
A Method to Define the Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Colon Microbiome Biodiversity in a Mouse Colon Tumor Model
Published on: February 28, 2018
9.4K
A Natural Mouse Model for Neisseria Colonization.
Mancheong Ma1, Daniel A Powell1,2, Nathan J Weyand1
1Department of Immunobiology and BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Infection and Immunity
|February 15, 2018
Summary
Researchers developed a novel mouse model to study how commensal bacteria, like Neisseria musculi, colonize hosts. This system identifies host and bacterial factors crucial for long-term microbial persistence without antibiotics or genetic manipulation.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology and Immunology
- Microbe-Host Interactions
- Commensal Bacteria Colonization
Background:
- Commensal bacteria are vital for host health, but mechanisms of persistent colonization remain poorly understood.
- Lack of suitable animal models hinders research into microbe-host interactions and colonization dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish a natural small animal model for studying commensal bacterial colonization and persistence.
- To identify host and bacterial factors that determine colonization success and long-term persistence.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a natural pairing of wild mouse commensal Neisseria musculi with laboratory mice.
- Administered a single oral dose of N. musculi, observing colonization in the absence of antibiotics or host manipulation.
- Investigated host genetic and innate immune factors, as well as bacterial type IV pilus, in colonization.
Main Results:
- A single oral dose of N. musculi established long-term colonization of the oral cavity and gut in healthy laboratory mice.
- Host genetics and innate immunity were identified as key determinants of colonization susceptibility.
- Bacterial type IV pilus was essential for N. musculi colonization.
Conclusions:
- The developed mouse model provides a natural system for studying Neisseria-host interactions and colonization resistance.
- This model facilitates the dissection of host factors controlling colonization and bacterial requirements for persistence.
- The system is potentially valuable for evaluating vaccine efficacy against pathogenic Neisseria species.
Related Concept Videos
02:22The Colonization of Land
37.9K
Changes in the environment of the early Earth drove the evolution of organisms. As prokaryotic organisms in the oceans began to photosynthesize, they produced oxygen. Eventually, oxygen saturated the oceans and entered the air, resulting in an increase in atmospheric oxygen concentration, known as the oxygen revolution approximately 2.3 billion years ago. Therefore, organisms that could use oxygen for cellular respiration had an advantage. More than 1.5 years ago, eukaryotic cells and...
37.9K
01:32What is Natural Selection?
129.9K
Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.
129.9K
01:10Nature and Nurture
22.5K
Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience,...
22.5K
02:30Chirality in Nature
17.3K
Chirality is the most intriguing yet essential facet of nature, governing life’s biochemical processes and precision. It can be observed from a snail shell pattern in a macroscopic world to an amino acid, the minutest building block of life. Most of the snails around the world have right-coiled shells because of the intrinsic chirality in their genes. All the amino acids present in the human body exist in an enantiomerically pure state, except for glycine - the sole achiral amino acid.
17.3K
02:12The Wave Nature of Light
61.7K
The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.
61.7K
01:15Natural Selection and Adaptation
1.5K
Natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology, is the mechanism by which evolution is driven, favoring organisms that are best adapted to their environments. This process enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptation, a key outcome of this process, involves genetic modifications that optimize an organism's functionality under specific environmental challenges, such as extreme cold or thinner air at high altitudes.
Beyond physical adaptations,...
Beyond physical adaptations,...
1.5K