A Strong Impact of Genetic Background on Gut Microflora in Mice

Figure 9

Box and whisker plots of the levels of cecal E. coli (large colonies on LB plates under aerobic conditions) and Enterococcus sp. (small colonies on LB plates; E. faecalis, E. hirae, or E. gallinarum) for mice on AIN diet. Bacteria counts are based on colony forming units per gram of cecal contents (CFU/g) at 24 hours, ${37}^{°}$C. Representative colonies were stabbed with a micropipet tip and transferred to ARISA PCR mix. The PCR products were resolved on agarose gels for comparison to laboratory E. coli and the PCR products were further isolated and sequenced for final identification of species.