Vaccine against deadly chytrid fungus primes frog microbiome for future exposure

A human or animal's microbiome—the collection of often beneficial microorganisms, including as bacteria and fungi, that live on or within a host organism—can play an important role in the host's overall immune response, but it is unclear how vaccines against harmful pathogens impact the microbiome. A new study led by researchers at Penn State found that a new vaccine against the deadly chytrid fungus in frogs can shift the composition of the microbiome, making frogs more resilient to future exposure to the fungus.