Derivation of a breeding colony of germ-free athymic mice by cesarean section and foster nursing.
Germ-free athymic mice were obtained by removing the uterus by cesarean section from a gravid heterozygous (nu/+) female at precisely full term. The uterus was transferred into a germ-free flexible isolator containing two germ-free CD-1 mice that were communally nursing their recently delivered litters. These germ-free CD-1 mice served as foster mothers for the newborn germ-free athymic mice.
D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D002585:Cesarean Section; D005260:Female; D005856:Germ-Free Life; D007774:Lactation; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D011247:Pregnancy