Tribolium castaneum defensin 1 kills Moraxella catarrhalisin an in vitro infection model but does not harm commensal bacteria.

is a bacterial pathogen that causes respiratory tract infections in humans. The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant strains has created a demand for alternative treatment options. We therefore tested 23 insect antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) for their activity against in a human infection model with primary macrophages, and against commensal bacteria.