title: The effects of diet on the severity of central nervous system disease: One part of lab-to-lab variability.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Many things can impact the reproducibility of results from laboratory to laboratory. For example, food from various sources can vary markedly in composition. We examined the effects of two different food sources, the Teklad Global Soy Protein-Free Extruded Rodent Diet (irradiated diet) and the Teklad Sterilizable Rodent Diet (autoclaved diet), on central nervous system disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three preclinical models for human disease: Two different experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models (multiple sclerosis) and the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus-induced seizure model (epilepsy), were examined for the effects of two different food sources on disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that mice fed the irradiated diet had more severe clinical disease and enhanced seizures compared with animals provided the autoclaved diet in both experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models examined and in the Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus-induced seizure model, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Therefore, just altering the source of food (lab chow) can have marked effects on disease severity and outcome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Jane E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Libbey
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Doty
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: Jordan T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.affiliation: Division of Organ Transplantation, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Cusick
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors.forename: June L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Round
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Electronic address: Robert.Fujinami@hsc.utah.edu.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Fujinami
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005514:Food Irradiation; D007753:Laboratories / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Diet; Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; Seizures; Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus