Assessment of ecological fidelity of human microbiome-associated mice in observational studies and an interventional trial.

ABSTRACT: Composition and function of the gut microbiome are associated with diverse health conditions and treatment responses. Human microbiota-associated (HMA) mouse models are used to establish causal links for these associations but have important limitations. We assessed the fidelity of HMA mouse models in recapitulating ecological responses to a microbial consortium using stools collected from a human clinical trial. HMA mice were generated using different routes of consortium exposure, and their ecological features were compared to human donors by metagenomic sequencing. HMA mice resembled other mice more than their respective human donors in gut microbial composition and function, with taxa including Akkermansia muciniphila and Bacteroides spp. enriched in mouse recipients. A l

SUBMITTER: Wong MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12607873 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature