Development of a Novel Humanized Microbiome Mouse Model for Cryptosporidiosis

Jan Mead of Emory University in the U.S. will develop a mouse model of cryptosporidiosis using human fecal transplants to mimic changes in the bacterial populations (microbiome) in the gut that occur in the human disease, which causes substantial morbidity and mortality in young children from developing countries. Drugs used to eradicate the intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium are thought to be affected by the levels and types of bacteria that populate the human gut, which is of particular importance in malnourished children who most often become infected. They will colonize germ-free mice with human fecal material and infect them with Cryptosporidium. The effect of the infection and of selected drugs on the microbiome will then be evaluated by DNA sequencing.