Viral metagenomic investigation of two Caribbean echinoderms, Diadema antillarum (Echinoidea) and Holothuria floridana (Holothuria).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Echinoderms play crucial roles in coral reef ecosystems, where they are significant detritivores and herbivores. The phylum is widely known for its boom and bust cycles, driven by food availability, predation pressure and mass mortalities. Hence, surveillance of potential pathogens and associates of grossly normal specimens is important to understanding their roles in ecology and mass mortality.

Methods

We performed viral surveillance in two common coral reef echinoderms, Diadema antillarum and Holothuria floridana, using metagenomics. Urchin specimens were obtained during the 2022 Diadema antillarum scuticociliatosis mass mortality event from the Caribbean and grossly normal H. floridana specimens from a reef in Florida. Viral metageno

SUBMITTER: Hewson I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11606319 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature