A green fluorescent protein (GFP) labeled strain of the coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus
Coral diseases have fundamentally altered Caribbean coral reef ecosystems and they pose a growing threat to Indo-Pacific reefs, yet little is known about the etiologies and pathogeneses of many of these diseases. Coral disease researchers require the development of tools to detect and quantify putative pathogens in both controlled laboratory experiments and environmentally-derived samples. Novel tools, such as this GFP-labeled strain of the coral pathogen V. coralliilyticus (shown here as a green aggregate), are currently being used to clarify the role of individual microbes in the onset and spread of coral disease lesions.

Acropora millepora coral colony infected with the coral disease white syndrome, one of many coral diseases impacting coral reefs worldwide.

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