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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Nature Chemical Biology

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

  • Phillip A. Jervis1,2,3
  • Gonçalo M. Rosa1,4,5
  • Kieran A. Bates1,6
  • Kersti Karu3
  • Aamina Murtza3
  • Thomas Defuentes3
  • David Firer7,8
  • Sam Edwards9,10,11
  • Kevin Hopkins1
  • François Le Mauff7,8
  • Christopher J. Michaels12
  • Tresai Jordine-Morgan1
12 more authors
  • Christina Nylander3
  • Christopher Sergeant1
  • Emily J. Skelly1,2
  • Tam T. Bui13
  • Donald Sheppard7,8
  • Xavier A. Harrison14
  • Johanna Rhodes2,15,16
  • Benjamin Tapley12
  • Jaime Bosch4
  • Trenton W. J. Garner1,17
  • Matthew C. Fisher2
  • Alethea B. Tabor3
17 affiliations
  1. 1Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
  2. 2MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK
  3. 3Department of Chemistry, UCL, London, UK
  4. 4IMIB Biodiversity Research Institute (CSIC-Oviedo University-Principality of Asturias), Mieres, Spain
  5. 5Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (cE3c) and Global Change and Sustainability Institute (CHANGE), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
  6. 6Blizard Institute, The Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
  7. 7Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, Québec Canada
  8. 8Infectious Diseases and Immunity in Global Heath Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Québec Canada
  9. 9Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
  10. 10Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
  11. 11Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
  12. 12Zoological Society of London, London, UK
  13. 13Centre for Biomolecular Spectroscopy and Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King’s College London, New Hunt’s House, London, UK
  14. 14Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
  15. 15Radboud University Medical Centre, Department of Medical Microbiology, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
  16. 16School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
  17. 17Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Northwest University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom, South Africa
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Abstract

Epizootic outbreaks of invasive pathogens, such as the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), are increasingly recognized as a global threat to biodiversity. However, not all susceptible host populations are equally impacted by these disease outbreaks. While some populations persist despite intense infections and high mortality rates, others can transition to enzootic coexistence with the pathogen. Here, we use comparative peptidomics to identify differences in antimicrobial peptide (AMP) maturation in Bd-susceptible common midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) through metamorphosis. Here, we show that animals that metamorphose before AMP immune maturation display a low-diversity AMP phenotype deficient in anti-Bd AMPs. Where a high incidence of postmetamorphic animals occur with immature AMPs, populations are associated with epizootic disease dynamics. Conversely, populations associated with mature AMPs are stable following invasion of the pathogen. Our results show that even intrinsically susceptible amphibian species can possess the tools that allow populations to recover following a severe Bd epizootic.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{jervis2026early,
  title = {{Early maturation of host antimicrobial peptide defences is associated with host–pathogen coexistence}},
  author = {Phillip A. Jervis and Gonçalo M. Rosa and Kieran A. Bates and Kersti Karu and Aamina Murtza and Thomas Defuentes and David Firer and Sam Edwards and Kevin Hopkins and François Le Mauff and Christopher J. Michaels and Tresai Jordine-Morgan and Christina Nylander and Christopher Sergeant and Emily J. Skelly and Tam T. Bui and Donald Sheppard and Xavier A. Harrison and Johanna Rhodes and Benjamin Tapley and Jaime Bosch and Trenton W. J. Garner and Matthew C. Fisher and Alethea B. Tabor},
  journal = {Nature Chemical Biology},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1038/s41589-026-02254-6},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-026-02254-6},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Early maturation of host antimicrobial peptide defences is associated with host–pathogen coexistence
AU  - Phillip A. Jervis
AU  - Gonçalo M. Rosa
AU  - Kieran A. Bates
AU  - Kersti Karu
AU  - Aamina Murtza
AU  - Thomas Defuentes
AU  - David Firer
AU  - Sam Edwards
AU  - Kevin Hopkins
AU  - François Le Mauff
AU  - Christopher J. Michaels
AU  - Tresai Jordine-Morgan
AU  - Christina Nylander
AU  - Christopher Sergeant
AU  - Emily J. Skelly
AU  - Tam T. Bui
AU  - Donald Sheppard
AU  - Xavier A. Harrison
AU  - Johanna Rhodes
AU  - Benjamin Tapley
AU  - Jaime Bosch
AU  - Trenton W. J. Garner
AU  - Matthew C. Fisher
AU  - Alethea B. Tabor
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/15
JO  - Nature Chemical Biology
DO  - 10.1038/s41589-026-02254-6
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41589-026-02254-6
AB  - Epizootic outbreaks of invasive pathogens, such as the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), are increasingly recognized as a global threat to biodiversity. However, not all susceptible host populations are equally impacted by these disease outbreaks. While some populations persist despite intense infections and high mortality rates, others can transition to enzootic coexistence with the pathogen. Here, we use comparative peptidomics to identify differences in antimicrobial peptide (AMP) maturation in Bd-susceptible common midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) through metamorphosis. Here, we show that animals that metamorphose before AMP immune maturation display a low-diversity AMP phenotype deficient in anti-Bd AMPs. Where a high incidence of postmetamorphic animals occur with immature AMPs, populations are associated with epizootic disease dynamics. Conversely, populations associated with mature AMPs are stable following invasion of the pathogen. Our results show that even intrinsically susceptible amphibian species can possess the tools that allow populations to recover following a severe Bd epizootic.
SN  - 1552-4450
SN  - 1552-4469
ER  -