Key Takeaways
- Sterile feed is the most challenging aspect of maintaining germ-free mice because rodent diets naturally contain bacteria that can vary between lots.
- The use of extruded diets containing lower bacterial loads due to high-temperature processing along with autoclave validation are both essential practices for effective sterilization.
- Proper autoclaving practices including consistent load configurations and the use of chemical and biological indicators for every load are crucial to prevent contamination in germ-free mouse studies.