Transcriptional analysis of total small intestinal tissue from adult infected and age-matched control animals

G. lamblia is a fecal-oral transmitted human enteropathogenic protozoan with extremely high incidence in endemic areas in Africa and Asia particularly in the infant population. It homes to the proximal small intestine and induceses diarrhea and malabsoption. Here we established a novel murine G. lamblia infection model and analyzed the tissue and epithelial response and downstream microbial and metabolic effects in the adult host. Neonate mice at the age of 3-4 days were orally infected by gavage with 2x10e5 G. lamblia ATCC 5058 (assemblage B, strain GS, clone H7) trophozoites. The infection was monitored by antigen ELISA and quantitative PCR using weekly fecal samples as well as histology. Transcriptional analysis of total gut tissue and isolated intestinal epithelial cells (Lotz et al., JEM, 2006) as well as metabolic analysis in blood, intestinal content and liver tissue were performed in adult animals.