1. relating to or denoting an organism or environment that is free of all microorganisms except those that are specifically introduced and known
Usage: technical; biology; microbiology

Examples

• Gnotobiotic mice are used in laboratory research to study the effects of specific bacteria on health.
• Scientists maintain gnotobiotic conditions in the laboratory to control variables in their experiments.
• The gnotobiotic environment allows researchers to isolate the impact of individual microorganisms.
• Gnotobiotic animals have no natural microbiota and must be kept in sterile conditions.
• Researchers developed gnotobiotic models to better understand the human microbiome.