Background There is considerable interest in investigating the role of the microbiota in
various diseases, including transplant rejection. Germ-free (GF) and gnotobiotic mice are
powerful models for this line of investigation, but performing surgery within the confines of a
sterile housing isolator is exceptionally challenging. Development of rigorous protocols to be
able to remove axenic mice from their sterile isolator for surgical intervention in a class II
biological safety cabinet (BSC) without compromising sterility would give many investigators …