Early maturation of host antimicrobial peptide defences is associated with host-pathogen coexistence.

Common midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) that metamorphose before antimicrobial peptide immune maturation show a low-diversity AMP phenotype lacking anti-Bd AMPs.

• Why it matters: Disease outbreaks vary in impact, with some susceptible populations persisting via enzootic coexistence; the mechanisms behind this resilience are unclear.
• What they did: Using comparative peptidomics, the study tracked antimicrobial peptide maturation through metamorphosis in Bd-susceptible toads and compared AMP profiles with Bd disease dynamics.
• The result: Low-diversity, immature-AMP populations are associated with epizootic disease dynamics, whereas populations with mature AMPs are stable after Bd invasion.

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