Deprivation of dietary fiber in specific-pathogen-free mice promotes susceptibility to the intestinal mucosal pathogen Citrobacter rodentium .
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Animal model research (bench/animal study with no human data)
PubMed 34530674 · doi:10.1080/19490976.2021.1966263
What was done
Specific-pathogen-free (SPF) mice were fed a diet devoid of soluble plant fibers to evaluate how fiber deprivation alters conventional gut microbiota structure, short-chain fatty acid levels, colonic mucus barrier integrity, and susceptibility to the enteric pathogen *Citrobacter rodentium* (a model for enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic *Escherichia coli*).
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative values or effect sizes. It states that fiber deprivation shifted specific bacterial taxa abundances, prompted microbiome-mediated erosion of the colonic mucus barrier, reduced barrier-promoting short-chain fatty acids, increased markers of mucosal barrier disruption, and resulted in lethal colitis following *C. rodentium* infection.
Why it matters
This study outlines a mechanistic link between low-fiber intake and susceptibility to enteric pathogens via microbiota-driven mucus degradation, offering preclinical context for how Western diets may weaken mucosal defenses.
Limits
Findings are limited to a mouse model under specific-pathogen-free laboratory conditions and cannot be directly extrapolated to humans. The abstract does not report animal sample sizes, exact quantitative measures, or pathogen challenge dosages.
Cited by
- supports Starving gut bacteria causes them to consume the intestinal epithelial mucin layer, reducing tight junction integrity and allowing lipopolysaccharides and bacteria to enter the bloodstream.