Two-phase microbial resistance: the example of insects

(PhysOrg.com) -- In less than an hour, the immune system of the beetle Tenebrio molitor neutralizes most of the bacteria infecting its hemolymph (the equivalent to blood in vertebrates); this is rendered possible by a cascade of ready-to-use cells and enzymes. Bacteria that resist these "front-line" defenses are then dealt with by antimicrobial peptides - a sort of natural antibiotic - which halt their proliferation.

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