ArticleGut microbes2017
Fecal microbiota variation across the lifespan of the healthy laboratory rat.
Article in Gut microbes, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A Systematic Review to Reassess the Formula for Early Life Growth.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2026Pooled it
- Involvement of Intestinal Microbiota in Adult Neurogenesis and the Expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Pooled it
- Impact of aging on animal models of Parkinson's disease.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Translational Potential of Metabolomics on Animal Models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease-A Systematic Critical Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2020Pooled it
- The Human Microbiota and Obesity: A Literature Systematic Review of In Vivo Models and Technical Approaches.International journal of molecular sciences · 2018Pooled it
- FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2019Trial
- Microbes and medicines: interrelationships between pharmaceuticals and the gut microbiome.Gut microbes · 2026Review
- Article
- Preserving the gut microbiome: hydrogel-forming microneedle delivery of tetracycline reduces gut microbiome disruption compared to oral administration.Drug delivery and translational research · 2026Article
- The gut as a central hub for multi-organ crosstalk in aging.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2026Review
- Microbiota-based PBPK model: new approach methodology for assessing the kinetics of drugs and chemicals.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Gadolinium Neutron Capture Therapy Influences Colon Microbiota in Experimental Breast Cancer.Bulletin of experimental biology and medicine · 2026Article
- Toxoplasma gondii disrupts intestinal microbiota and host metabolism in a rat model.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Dysregulation of immune system markers, gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid production following prenatal alcohol exposure: A developmental perspective.Neurochemistry international · 2025Article
- Effects of a Novel Bovine Lactoferrin-Derived Peptide on the Intestinal Morphology and Intestinal Flora in Rats.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Changes in healthy Wistar rat gut microbiome by short-term dietary cava lees intervention.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Ontogenetic Neuroimmune Changes Following Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Implications for Neurobehavioral Function.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2025Review
- The Oral Microbial Ecosystem in Age-Related Xerostomia: A Critical Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- The Future Exploring of Gut Microbiome-Immunity Interactions: From In Vivo/Vitro Models to In Silico Innovations.Microorganisms · 2024Review
- Alcohol consumption during pregnancy differentially affects the fecal microbiota of dams and offspring.Scientific reports · 2024Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Laboratory rats are commonly used in life science research as a model for human biology and disease, but the composition and development of their gut microbiota during life is poorly understood. We determined the fecal microbiota composition of healthy Sprague Dawley laboratory rats from 3 weeks to 2 y of age, kept under controlled environmental and dietary conditions. Additionally, we determined fecal short-chain fatty acid profiles, and we compared the rat fecal microbiota with that of mice and humans. Gut microbiota and to a lesser extent SCFAs profiles separated rats into 3 different clusters according to age: before weaning, first year of life (12- to 26-week-old animals) and second year of life (52- to 104-week-old). A core of 46 bacterial species was present in all rats but its members' relative abundance progressively decreased with age. This was accompanied by an increase of microbiota α-diversity, likely due to the acquisition of environmental microorganisms during the lifespan. Contrastingly, the functional profile of the microbiota across animal species became more similar upon aging. Lastly, the microbiota of rats and mice were most similar to each other but at the same time the microbiota profile of rats was more similar to that of humans than was the microbiota profile of mice. These data offer an explanation as to why germ-free rats are more efficient recipients and retainers of human microbiota than mice. Furthermore, experimental design should take into account dynamic changes in the microbiota of model animals considering that their changing gut microbiota interacts with their physiology.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.