Effects of a gut pathobiont in a gnotobiotic mouse model of childhood undernutrition.

The article discusses research which examined the effects of a gut pathobiont in a gnotobiotic mouse model of childhood malnutrition in Bangladesh. Topics discussed include the causal relation of enterotoxigenetic Bacteroides fragilis strain (ETBF) to weight loss, relation of the phenotype with derangements in host energy metabolism manifested by impaired tricarboxylic acid cycle activity and nontoxigenic strains of Bacteroides fragilis (NTBF) mitigating the effects of ETBF on transcriptomes.