Germ-free lungs of newborn mice are partially protected against hyperoxia

Researchers have used a novel and first-of-its-kind newborn mouse model to study the effect of high oxygen concentrations, or hyperoxia, on lung development of newborn mice that are germ-free -- meaning no microbes colonizing their lungs. Their goal is to learn how differences in the types of microbes that already colonize human lungs at birth -- including extremely premature infants -- can protect or make an infant more susceptible to life-threatening bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or BPD.