Abstract

Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has spread throughout Florida’s Coral Reef causing extensive mortalities in over 21 species of reef-building corals and resulting in the local extinction of some species. Adding to the mounting devastation by SCTLD in Florida. this disease has recently been found in 17 other countries or territories throughout the Caribbean. Current treatments for SCTLD do not provide protection from future infection and may have adverse effects on the local environment. Here. we investigate the effectiveness of using coral-derived probiotics as an in situ treatment for SCTLD-affected corals. Bacterial strain McH1-7. isolated from a disease-resistant colony of Montastraea cavernosa. successfully stopped disease progression and transmission during aquarium trials with diseased corals. McH1-7 was also tested for safety on a variety of stony coral species and showed no negative effects over 21 days. Using this knowledge. we developed and tested different methods of deploying the probiotics to treat whole diseased M. cavernosa colonies with McH1-7 at reef sites in Broward County. FL. Prototype deployment methods included a weighted bag to treat whole coral colonies as well as a sodium alginate-based paste that could be applied directly to the lesion. Corals were treated and monitored for months for signs of disease progression. 3D models were also created of each coral to compare disease progression over time. This is the first in situ study testing the practicality and effectiveness of using coral probiotics to treat a coral disease.

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