Ret 3 iso thermocouple probe

To determine whether an immune challenge affected the microbial communities in the gut, male and female hamsters were assigned to an experimental group (n = 14 males; n = 10 females), in which they received a single i.p. injection of LPS, as previously described, or a control group (n = 14 males; n = 10 females), in which they received sterile saline on D8. During the study (days 1–7 [Pretreatment]; day 8 [Treatment]; days 9–21 [Posttreatment]), body mass, food intake, and colonic temperatures were measured at regular intervals in all animals. Additionally, following LPS or saline injections, behavior (attitude, posture, gait, movement) was also monitored to ensure the health of all animals. Colonic temperature was measured on days 1, 3, and 7 (Pretreatment), day 8 (Treatment), and days 9–14, 17, and 21 (Posttreatment) using a MicroTherma 2T thermometer (ThermoWorks, Alpine, UT, USA) and a lubricated RET‐3‐ISO thermocouple probe (Physitemp Instruments, Inc., Clifton, NJ, USA) inserted ∼12 mm into the rectum (Carlton and Demas 2015).