THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND STUDY OF GERMFREE ISOLATORS FOR USE WITH PATIENTS AND IN RESEARCH

Practical methods for using flexible film isolators to produce and distribute germfree mice and rats were developed to the extent that commercial laboratory animal breeders now engage in this activity. The method of using these animals in the laboratory have been simplified to eliminate unusual requirements of equipment and space for animal studies. A preliminary study to evaluate pertussis vaccine Indicated that these animals may be suitable for routine biological testing. A pure culture of Cl. difficile will eliminate the principle anomaly of the germfree animal distended cecum to provide the first step in the development of a general purpose laboratory mouse with a completely defined microflora. Methods have been developed for using the larger animals swine and sheep in the laboratory with either a total absence of microbes or with pure cultures. The same principles of isolator construction have been used to build isolators for providing a sterile area for human surgery. Isolators have been constructed for either protecting a patient from the microbic environment of the hospital ward or preventing the spread of pathogens from a sick patient.