Effectiveness of topical antibiotics in treating corals affected by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

Neely, Karen L.; Macaulay, Kevin A.; Hower, Emily K.; Dobler, Michelle A.

doi:10.1101/870402

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…and has led to the regional near-extinction of Dendrogyra cylindrus (Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease [SCTLD], 2018). The severity of the outbreak has led to unprecedented response efforts to mitigate its spread, such as placing wild, apparently healthy (AH) coral colonies in land-based aquaria for safekeeping, and treating diseased colonies with antibiotics in situ (Neely et al, 2019). To better understand SCTLD, we conducted 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing of tissues from AH and diseased colonies of four coral species:…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales Are Associated With Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease and Its Suspected Sources of Transmission

et al. 2020

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In 2014, Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) was first detected off the coast of Miami, FL, United States, and continues to persist and spread along the Florida Reef Tractr (FRT) and into the Caribbean. SCTLD can have up to a 61% prevalence in reefs and has affected at least 23 species of scleractinian corals. This has contributed to the regional near-extinction of at least one coral species, Dendrogyra cylindrus. Initial studies of SCTLD indicate microbial community shifts and cessation of lesion progression in response to antibiotics on some colonies. However, the etiology and abiotic sources of SCTLD transmission are unknown. To characterize SCTLD microbial signatures, we collected tissue samples from four affected coral species: Stephanocoenia intersepta, Diploria labyrinthiformis, Dichocoenia stokesii, and Meandrina meandrites. Tissue samples were from apparently healthy (AH) corals, and unaffected tissue (DU) and lesion tissue (DL) on diseased corals. Samples were collected in June 2018 from three zones: (1) vulnerable (ahead of the SCTLD disease boundary in the Lower Florida Keys), (2) endemic (post-outbreak in the Upper Florida Keys), and (3) epidemic (SCTLD was active and prevalent in the Middle Florida Keys). From each zone, sediment and water samples were also collected to identify whether they may serve as potential sources of transmission for SCTLD-associated microbes. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon highthroughput sequencing methods to characterize the microbiomes of the coral, water, and sediment samples. We identified a relatively higher abundance of the bacteria orders Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales in DL tissue compared to AH and DU tissue. Also, our results showed relatively higher abundances of Rhodobacterales in water from the endemic and epidemic zones compared to the vulnerable zone. Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales identified at higher relative abundances in DL samples were also detected in sediment samples, but not in water samples. Our data indicate that Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales may play a role in SCTLD and that sediment may be a source of transmission for Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales associated with SCTLD lesions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales Are Associated With Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease and Its Suspected Sources of Transmission

et al. 2020

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“…Successful cessation of lesion progression following application of amoxycillin paste to afflicted colonies suggests that either the pathogen(s) are of bacterial origin or that bacteria play a major role in disease progression and virulence as opportunistic microbes (Aeby et al, 2019;Neely et al, 2020). To detect putative pathogens or disease biomarker bacteria and archaea, 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing approaches that target bacteria and archaea were employed on field collected coral samples from the Florida Reef Tract, where the disease originated (Meyer et al, 2019;Rosales et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease biomarker bacteria identified in corals and overlying waters using a rapid field-based sequencing approach

Becker

Brandt

Miller

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is a devastating disease. Since 2014, it has spread along the entire Florida Reef Tract, presumably via a water-borne vector, and into the greater Caribbean. It was first detected in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) in January 2019. To more quickly identify disease biomarker microbes, we developed a rapid pipeline for microbiome sequencing. Over a span of 10 days we collected, processed, and sequenced coral tissue and near-coral seawater microbiomes from diseased and apparently healthy Colpophyllia natans, Montastraea cavernosa, Meandrina meandrites and Orbicella franksi. Analysis of the resulting bacterial and archaeal 16S ribosomal RNA sequences revealed 25 biomarker amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) enriched in diseased tissue. These biomarker ASVs were additionally recovered in near-coral seawater (within 5 cm of coral surface), a potential recruitment zone for pathogens. Phylogenetic analysis of the biomarker ASVs belonging to Vibrio, Arcobacter, Rhizobiaceae, and Rhodobacteraceae revealed relatedness to other coral disease-associated bacteria and lineages novel to corals. Additionally, four ASVs (Algicola, Cohaesibacter, Thalassobius and Vibrio) were exact sequence matches to microbes previously associated with SCTLD. This work represents the first rapid coral disease sequencing effort and identifies biomarkers of SCTLD that could be targets for future SCTLD research.

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“…SCTLD affects a wide range of Florida's reef-building corals (at least 23 species) and its cause is currently still unknown, despite significant effort that has been put towards its identification [4][5][6][7]. Initial studies of SCTLD demonstrated that lesion progression responds to antibiotics treatment, which indicates that the spread of the disease is either directly or indirectly affected by microbial processes [6,36]. However, no visible evidence of infectious agents has been found associated with the disease, and no obvious host-cell inflammatory response has been detected in histopathology of SCTLD [37].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Composition of Microbial Communities in Waters Around the Florida Reef Tract and Their Potential Significance for Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

Laas¹,

Ugarelli²,

Boyer³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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The Florida Keys, a delicate archipelago of sub-tropical islands extending from the south-eastern tip of Florida, host the vast majority of the only coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD), which was first detected near Virginia Key in 2014, has spread throughout the Florida Reef Tract and to reefs throughout the Caribbean, af-fecting nearly all reef-building corals. Molecular studies of SCTLD have identified opportunistic pathogens associated with the disease, but so far no single pathogen can be clearly pinpointed as its cause. One focus of recent research has been the surrounding environment of the corals, coined the 'coral ecosphere'. Abiotic and microbial components of the coral ecosphere are pivot-al for understanding the health of a reef, and could play an important role in SCTLD in Florida. In this study, we analyzed microbial community structure and abiotic factors that can impact coral (and human) health. Both, bacterial and eukaryotic community structure were significantly linked with variations in temperature, dissolved oxygen and total organic carbon values. High abundances of copiotrophic bacteria as well as several potentially harmful microbes, including coral pathogens, fish parasites, and taxa that have been previously associated with Red Tide and shellfish poisoning, were present in our datasets and can have a pivotal impact on coral health in this ecosystem.

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Effectiveness of topical antibiotics in treating corals affected by Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

Cited by 11 publications

References 4 publications

Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales Are Associated With Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease and Its Suspected Sources of Transmission

Rhodobacterales and Rhizobiales Are Associated With Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease and Its Suspected Sources of Transmission

Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease biomarker bacteria identified in corals and overlying waters using a rapid field-based sequencing approach

Composition of Microbial Communities in Waters Around the Florida Reef Tract and Their Potential Significance for Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease

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