Immune equilibrium modeled as balance beams after Eberl (2016).
Microbiota including pathogens of the frog Xenopus laevis may bias immune responses at early stages of development such that the microbiome and infection susceptibility will be altered in later life.
In this 3 year NIH-funded project we will utilize germ-free conditions for raising tadpoles and monitoring immune responses and microbiota on the skin and mucus.