Worm expulsion is independent of alterations in composition of the colonic bacteria that occur during experimental Hymenolepis diminuta-infection in mice

The tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta fails to establish in mice. Given the potential for helminth-bacteria interaction in the gut and the influence that commensal bacteria exert on host immunity, we tested if worm expulsion was related to alterations in the gut microbiota. Specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice, treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics, or germ-free wild-type mice were infected with H. diminuta, gut bacterial composition assessed by 16S...