ABSTRACT
The immune system’s recognized responsiveness in germfree (GF) mice maintained on a chemically defined diet (GF-CD mice), coupled with its relatively unstimulated state, suggested the use of GF-CD BALB/c mice to effectively generate specific monoclonal antibodies. An antigen injected into such mice would produce a less heterogeneous pool of antibody-producing lymphocytes than it would generate in CV mice maintained on natural ingredient diet L-485, as demonstrated by N. A. Bos and V. A. Poplis. The availability of ultrapure chemicals and ultrapure water gives us the possibility to produce an absolutely defined CD diet. As Dr. Julian Pleasants at the meeting of the International Symposium on Gnotobiotics pointed out, GF rats and GF mice maintained on such a diet would make it possible to test very small amounts of materials hitherto considered toxic and/or carcinogenic. Many parasites spend part of their life cycle in the gut of higher organisms.
