Georgia Tech researchers find predatory bacteria halt disease in endangered Caribbean corals
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Georgia Tech researchers have found that microscopic predatory bacteria halt the spread of a lethal disease in endangered Caribbean corals. In lab trials, more than half of treated corals survived without bleaching beyond the infection site, compared to all untreated corals that bleached within 48 hours. The discovery offers a potential probiotic treatment even as ocean warming intensifies disease outbreaks.
The Coral Disease Threat
The infection is caused by Vibrio coralliilyticus, a pathogen that triggers rapid tissue loss and bleaching in stony corals. Georgia Tech researchers, led by lead author Lauren Speare, found that the disease acts as a major driver of coral death, with untreated corals bleaching completely within 48 hours. The study, published in The ISME Journal, warns that rising sea surface temperatures are creating a 'deadly synergy' with such infections, profoundly threatening Caribbean reefs.
Predatory Bacteria as Natural Defense
The predatory bacteria Halobacteriovorax act as a living probiotic, hunting and consuming Vibrio pathogens. University of California, Santa Barbara professor Rebecca Vega Thurber had previously discovered the bacteria in coral microbiomes, and Speare's team at UCSB hypothesized they help balance the ecosystem. To test this, the team ran a six-week experiment at Mote's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research and Restoration in Florida. More than half of corals treated with Halobacteriovorax showed no signs of bleaching beyond the initial infection site, effectively halting disease progression. Speare noted that timing was critical, as the bacteria surge during infections and rapidly decline afterward, making them analogous to 'catching a mountain lion in the act of hunting a deer'.
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