Dauer Microbiome sequencing

It has long been assumed that Dauer stages of C. elegans do not harbor bacteria in their gut, likely due to the belief that induction of this stage through starvation leads to the alimentary tract being sealed off from the environment. However, there has been no comprehensive study examining the presence of bacteria in C. elegans dauers. In our present study, through culturing and NGS approaches, we provide strong evidence that the dauer phase of C. elegans is indeed devoid of bacteria.