We studied the microbiome of fecal samples from rats treated or untreated with both antibiotics and chemically-induced colitis, and infected or uninfected with the symbiont Hymenolepis diminuta.

We sequenced 168 fecal samples from 32 rats, identifying present taxa by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Rats were treated or untreated with both antibiotics and chemically-induced colitis, and infected or uninfected with the symbiont Hymenolepis diminuta. We measured cytokine levels at intervals throughout the experiment, as well as other factors such as weight, BMI, coat quality, fecal quality, and apathy.