The intestinal microbiota has important metabolic and host-protective functions. Conversely to these beneficial functions, the intestinal microbiota is thought to play a central role in the etiopathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), a chronic inflammation of the gut mucosa. Genetic screens and studies in experimental mouse models have clearly demonstrated that IBD can develop due to excessive translocation of bacteria into the bowel wall or dysregulated handling of bacteria in genetically susceptible hosts. In healthy individuals, the microbiota is efficiently separated from the mucosal immune system of the gut by the gut barrier, a single layer of highly specialized epithelial cells, some of which are equipped with innate immune functions to prevent or control access of bacterial antigens to the mucosal immune cells. It is currently unclear whether the composition of the microbial flora or individual bacterial strains or pathogens induces or supports the pathogenesis of IBD. Further research will be necessary to carefully dissect the contribution of individual bacterial species to this disease and to ascertain whether specific modulation of the intestinal microbiome may represent a valuable further option for future therapeutic strategies.

In this issue are assembled 10 fascinating, well-researched papers that describe the emerging field centered on the microbiome of vertebrate animals and how these complex microbial populations play a fundamental role in shaping homeostasis of the host. The content of the papers will deal with bacteria and, because of relative paucity of information on these organisms, will not include discussions on viruses, fungus, protozoa, and parasites that colonize various animals. Dissecting the number and interactions of the 500-1000 bacterial species that can inhabit the intestines of animals is made possible by advanced DNA sequencing methods, which do not depend on whether the organism can be cultured or not. Laboratory animals, particularly rodents, have proven to be an indispensable component in not only understanding how the microbiome aids in digestion and protects the host against pathogens, but also in understanding the relationship of various species of bacteria to development of the immune system. Importantly, this research elucidates purported mechanisms for how the microbiome can profoundly affect initiation and progression of diseases such as type 1 diabetes, metabolic syndromes, obesity, autoimmune arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. The strengths and limitations of the use of germfree mice colonized with single species of bacteria, a restricted flora, or most recently the use of human-derived microbiota are also discussed.

Cutaneous wound healing in the pig is frequently used as a model for human cutaneous wound healing. In this review, we examine the appropriateness of this model for studying normal and pathological wound healing, and describe models for chronic nonhealing wounds, diabetic wounds, burns, and hypertrophic scars. In addition, we focus on studies that have used pigs to evaluate wound-healing therapies, and discuss genetic engineering technology in the pig that may advance our knowledge of wound healing. We conclude that, although not perfect, the pig offers a versatile model that can be adjusted to mimic a wide range of clinical scenarios.

Through its program oversight function, the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) plays a central role in ensuring the humane use and care of animals in research. To be effective in this role, the IACUC requires explicit knowledge of the species for which it bears oversight responsibility. Owing to a variety of species-specific factors, such as their relatively large size and range of acceptable housing environments, livestock present many special considerations for the IACUC. This article reviews many of those considerations in a format intended to aid IACUCs in the review of animal care and use programs involving livestock species used in translational research.

The scientific literature of laboratory animal research is replete with papers reporting poor reproducibility of results as well as failure to translate results to clinical trials in humans. This may stem in part from poor experimental design and conduct of animal experiments. Despite widespread recognition of these problems and implementation of guidelines to attenuate them, a review of the literature suggests that experimental design and conduct of laboratory animal research are still in need of refinement. This paper will review and discuss possible sources of biases, highlight advantages and limitations of strategies proposed to alleviate them, and provide a conceptual framework for improving the reproducibility of laboratory animal research.

Immunotherapy is not a new concept for veterinary medicine; however, adoptive T cell therapy is a new area of research in humans and canines alike. In humans, T cell therapy has been used against many different tumor histologies, including lymphoma, melanoma, and colon cancer. Although in dogs this approach has currently only been applied to lymphoma, other tumor types are under investigation. There are many different strategies used to take advantage of cell-mediated antitumor properties of T cells. This review will discuss many of the current strategies used in both humans and canines in regards to adoptive T cell therapy.

Neurite degeneration is a hallmark feature of nearly all neurodegenerative diseases, occurs after most brain trauma, and is thought to be the underlying cause of functional loss in patients. Understanding the genetic basis of neurite degeneration represents a major challenge in the neuroscience field. If it is possible to define key signaling pathways that promote neurite destruction, their blockade represents an exciting new potential therapeutic approach to suppressing neurological loss in patients. This review highlights recently developed models that can be used to study fundamental aspects of neuronal injury using the fruit fly Drosophila. The speed, precision, and powerful molecular-genetic tools available in the fruit fly make for an attractive system in which to dissect neuronal signaling after injury. Their use has led to the identification of some of the first molecules whose endogenous function includes promoting axonal degeneration after axotomy, and these signaling pathways appear functionally well conserved in mammals.