biostudies-literatureUnknown12Garzon-Machado MThe decline in Acropora palmata populations in Colombian reefs has been mainly attributed to diseases outbreaks. The population size structure and prevalence of white pox and white band disease were evaluated in six localities of the Colombian Caribbean. Here, we aimed to isolate enteric bacteria and Vibrios from healthy and diseased coral mucus to relate its presence to the health status of Acropora palmata. The isolated bacteria were identified using molecular analyses with the 16S rRNA gene. Larger colonies had the highest percentage of the prevalence of both diseases. The strains that were identified as Vibrio sp. and Bacillus sp. were common in the healthy and diseased mucus of the holobiont. The Exiguobacterium sp. and Cobetia sp. strains isoPeerJe16886https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11636679biostudies-literatureDisease prevalence and bacterial isolates associated with Acropora palmata in the Colombian Caribbean.PMC11636679Garcia-Uruena RGarzon-Machado MLuna-Fontalvo JfalseDisease prevalence and bacterial isolates associated with Acropora palmata in the Colombian Caribbean.The decline in Acropora palmata populations in Colombian reefs has been mainly attributed to diseases outbreaks. The population size structure and prevalence of white pox and white band disease were evaluated in six localities of the Colombian Caribbean. Here, we aimed to isolate enteric bacteria and Vibrios from healthy and diseased coral mucus to relate its presence to the health status of Acropora palmata. The isolated bacteria were identified using molecular analyses with the 16S rRNA gene. Larger colonies had the highest percentage of the prevalence of both diseases. The strains that were identified as Vibrio sp. and Bacillus sp. were common in the healthy and diseased mucus of the holobiont. The Exiguobacterium sp. and Cobetia sp. strains iso2024-01-01T00:00:00Z20242025-04-22T13:12:12.543Z2025-04-06T00:33:04.729ZS-EPMC116366793967009110.7717/peerj.16886