Management of axenic and gnotobiotic colonies

For over 40 years, the TAAM has offered axenisation of mouse lines by aseptic hysterectomy and (developing) embryo transfer.

Axenisation consists in obtaining animals which are free of any micro-organisms that are detectable by the laboratory’s diagnosis systems (axenic or Germ Free animals).

The axenic model allows the scientific community to work on micro-biota, an increasingly relevant topic in view of the recent discoveries on the importance of intestinal flora in so many, varied fields.

Guaranteeing axenia needs great scientific exactitude and a perfect command of the process which includes checks at every key step, as well as regular monitoring of the animals’ health status.

The service is ISO 9001 and NFX50-900 certified.

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The TAAM offers a large, and constantly increasing, capacity in isolators, thus making it possible to provide the scientific community with experimental batches of axenic, inbred mice.

Isolator cages
© TAAM / Gilles Kagan

Transport of axenic animals to their users has been optimised and diversified in order to conserve their health status and to meet the expectations of all researchers. (triple-packaging boxes, transport isolator, cylinders…).

Transport isolator for axenic mice
© TAAM / Gilles Kagan