Abstract
The longevity of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was studied under two different nutritional regimes, one axenic and the other monoxenic. Axenic nematodes showed typical sigmoidal survival curves with exceptionally long tailing. Monoxenic worms died off much faster and the maximum life-span in bacterial culture was generally three to four times shorter than that obtained in axenic culture. When nematodes were transferred from axenic to monoxenic culture and vice versa at near adulthood the survival patterns observed were reminiscent of the final medium. These results are in agreement with the hypothesis that worms may die off prematurely in bacterial culture by toxins given off by the bacteria.
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De Cuyper, C., Vanfleteran, J.R. Nutritional alteration of life span in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans . AGE 5, 42–45 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02431722
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02431722