Figure 1. In vivo screen of the effects of food-grade fiber preparations on members of a defined human gut microbiota.
(A) Schematic design of screen (one of three similar screens). Gnotobiotic mice harboring a consortium of bacterial strains obtained from a single human donor. Animals received a series of supplemented HiSF-LoFV diets, each containing one fiber type at 8% (w/w) and another at 2% (w/w) (colored boxes). Control animals received the unsupplemented HiSF-LoFV or LoSF-HiFV diet monotonously for four weeks.
(B,C) Average relative abundance values for B. thetaiotaomicron and B. caccae during administration of the indicated fiber. Bars show mean values. Circles denote individual mice. Arrowheads mark mice that received pea fiber (B) or high molecular weight (MW) inulin (C) as the minor fiber type (2% w/w).
(D) Estimated coefficients from linear models (with at least one estimated coefficient > 0.4) for bacterial strains across the three screening experiments. Statistically significant coefficients (P < 0.01; ANOVA) are shaded according to the color bar.