A real-time PCR assay for accurate quantification of the individual members of the Altered Schaedler Flora microbiota in gnotobiotic mice.

Changes in the gastrointestinal microbial community are frequently associated with chronic diseases such as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. However, understanding the relationship of any individual taxon within the community to host physiology is made complex due to the diversity and individuality of the gut microbiota. Defined microbial communities such as the Altered Schaedler Flora (ASF) help alleviate the challenges of a diverse microbiota by allowing one to interrogate the relationship between individual bacterial species and host responses.