History

The Association for Gnotobiotics was founded in 1961 by Philip C. Trexler (at that time with the Lobund Laboratory, University of Notre Dame) in response to the need for organization and standardization in the rapidly expanding field of germfree research. The goals of the Association as defined in the original Articles of Incorporation are: To stimulate research in the field of basic and applied gnotobiotics; To expedite the dissemination of information relative to gnotobiotics and gnotobiotic technology; To stimulate the production, maintenance, distribution and use of gnotobiotes; To establish standards for the microbiological testing and husbandry practice with gnotobiotes, and to establish a certification program; To establish an acceptable nomenclature in the field of gnotobiotics. At that time, Trexler defined gnotobiotics as the science involved with maintaining a microbiologically controlled environment and with the biological knowledge necessary to obtain and use biological specimens in this environment. This definition concisely reflects the roots of the word; that is "gnotos" meaning well known and "biota" meaning the combined flora and fauna of a region. The recently accepted definition of gnotobiote as put forth by the Committee on Standardized Nomenclature is: "Animal strains derived by aseptic surgical procedures or from sterile hatching of eggs, which are reared and maintained with germfree techniques under isolator conditions and in which the composition of the associated fauna and flora, if present, is fully defined by accepted current methodology."