Shifts in the microbiome and virome are associated with stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD).

ABSTRACT: Stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is a rapidly spreading lethal coral disease, the etiology of which remains poorly understood. In this study, using deep metagenomic sequencing, we investigated microbial and viral community dynamics associated with SCTLD progression in the Caribbean stony coral Diploria labyrinthiformis. We assembled 264 metagenome-assembled genomes and correlated their abundance with disease phenotypes, which revealed significant shifts in both the prokaryotic microbiome and virome. Our results provide clear evidence of microbial destabilization in diseased corals, suggesting that microbial dysbiosis is an outcome of SCTLD progression. We identified DNA viruses in our dataset that increase in abundance in SCTLD-affected corals and are present in existing cora

SUBMITTER: Nandi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12743298 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature