Microbial pathogens

The “coral holobiont” is a fully orchestrated and balanced community of coral, zooxanthellae, algae, bacteria and very likely viruses harboured by all these unicellular and multicellular life forms.

However, if the balance is disturbed and particular microbes overgrow the others (and so are present in greater abundance than usual), coral disease will result.

AIMS is investigating coral diseases with a particular interest in the mechanisms that may explain the rise in disease observed throughout the Great Barrier Reef by AIMS after the most recent episode of coral bleaching.

AIMS is conducting observations on the bacterial assemblages found in coral mucus under normal conditions and how these microbial populations and associations change during manipulation of the external physical and chemical environments.

This research will contribute to the development and use of bacterial associations as novel bioindicators of changes in water quality and environmental stress.

Since the provision of the world’s seafood for human consumption cannot be met sustainably from wild catch, aquaculture (the farming of fishes, crustaceans, oysters, etc) will substantially increase to meet the seafood demand.

AIMS has had a long-standing research program in various aquacultured crustaceans but is currently focusing on a very high value species, the tropical rock lobster.

However, as with all intensively reared animals, aquacultured rock lobsters are easy prey for pathogens. AIMS research has shown that specific filamentous bacteria in aquaculture hatchery tanks can become tangled around the mouthparts of baby lobsters, preventing them from feeding and making the larvae susceptible to additional bacterial infections which may be fatal.

Future aquaculture research at AIMS will investigate the role of microbes in the life cycles of cultured animals.

Coral disease

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November 7, 2007