Mus musculus Raw sequence reads. Mus musculus

Doxycycline is a common effector for control of gene expression using the tet-inducible system in transgenic mice. The effect of oral doxycycline on murine gut microbiota has not been reported. We evaluated the effect of doxycycline treatment by sequencing the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene from fecal samples collected during a 4 week course of treatment at a dose of 2mg/ml in the drinking water. The fecal microbiota of treated animals were distinct from control animals; the decreased richness and diversity were characterized primarily by Bacteroides sp. enrichment. These effects persisted when the treatment was temporarily discontinued for one week. These data suggest that doxycycline treatment can induce significant dysbiosis, and its effects must be considered when used in animal models that are or maybe sensitive to perturbation of the gut microbiota.