Gnotobiotic animal
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A gnotobiotic animal (from Greek roots gnotos 'known' and bios 'life') is an animal in which only certain known strains of bacteria and other microorganisms are present (compare germ-free animals).
Gnotobiotic animals (also 'gnotobiote' or 'gnotobiont') are born in aseptic conditions, removed from the mother by Caesarean section. They are reared in the laboratory, exposed only to those microorganisms that the researchers wish to be present in the animal. They are used in research into the symbiotic relationship between an animal and the microorganisms that inhabit its body, sometimes called its 'ecoorgan'.
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