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Lookup NU author(s): Professor John BythellORCiD
Culture-independent molecular (16S ribosomal RNA) techniques showed distinct differences in bacterial communities associated with white band disease (WBD) Type I and healthy elkhorn coral Acropora palmata. Differences were apparent at all levels, with a greater diversity present in tissues of diseased colonies. The bacterial community associated with remote, non-diseased coral was distinct from the apparently healthy tissues of infected corals several cm from the disease lesion. This demonstrates a whole-organism effect from what appears to be a localised disease lesion, an effect that has also been recently demonstrated in white plague-like disease in star coral Montastraea annularis. The pattern of bacterial community structure changes was similar to that recently demonstrated for white plague-like disease and black band disease. Some of the changes are likely to be explained by the colonisation of dead and degrading tissues by a micro-heterotroph community adapted to the decomposition of coral tissues. However, specific ribosomal types that are absent from healthy tissues appear consistently in all samples of each of the diseases. These ribotypes are closely related members of a group of cc-proteobacteria that cause disease, notably juvenile oyster disease, in other marine organisms. It is clearly important that members of this group are isolated for challenge experiments to determine their role in the diseases. © Inter-Research 2006.
Author(s): Pantos O, Bythell JC
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Diseases of Aquatic Organisms
Year: 2006
Volume: 69
Issue: 1
Pages: 79-88
Print publication date: 23/03/2006
Date deposited: 28/05/2010
ISSN (print): 0177-5103
ISSN (electronic): 1616-1580
Publisher: Inter-Research
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/dao069079
DOI: 10.3354/dao069079
PubMed id: 16703769
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