' Instead of using stressful force-feeding (oral gavage) to transplant gut bacteria into mice, the researchers developed a frozen, palatable treat that mice eat voluntarily. They proved that this method is just as effective at changing the gut microbiome as traditional methods but without the stress-induced changes in brain chemistry.
Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is a critical tool for studying the gut-brain axis, yet traditional methods like oral gavage are highly stressful and can confound behavioral outcomes. we introduce a novel, non-invasive FMT method: the 'poopsicle'. By incorporating donor fecal material into a palatable, frozen treat, we achieve efficient microbiota transfer without the physiological stress of manual handling or intubation. We demonstrate that 'poopsicle' FMT successfully colonizes the recipient gut and allows for the unbiased exploration of microbiome-mediated effects on stress-related behaviors. This method significantly improves animal welfare and enhances the reliability of behavioral neuroscience research involving the gut microbiome.
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