RAPID: Collaborative Research: Investigation of the transmission, infectivity and differential host specificity of a coral disease outbreak on Florida reefs

珊瑚受到全球疾病的威胁，了解珊瑚疾病是保护珊瑚礁的关键。疾病是珊瑚死亡的主要原因，但令人惊讶的是，关于珊瑚疾病的原因和进展的信息很少。目前，在佛罗里达的珊瑚礁上爆发了广泛的珊瑚病，已经导致多种珊瑚物种的大规模死亡。至少有13种珊瑚受到影响，受影响严重的物种减少到不到其初始种群的3%。这一前所未有的爆发在多个物种的珊瑚提供了一个独特的，但时间敏感（爆发是短暂的）的机会，以解决有关珊瑚疾病的关键问题。该项目将直接研究疾病传播，探索潜在的病原体，并研究受影响物种和抗性物种的珊瑚防御机制。多个研究人员和机构的共同努力，解决疾病爆发的不同组成部分，将为有关海洋疾病的问题提供急需的答案，这可能不仅适用于佛罗里达珊瑚礁，也适用于珊瑚礁世界各地的疾病。这项研究将有利于那些依赖珊瑚礁作为食物，娱乐和沿海保护来源的人。此外，该项目旨在为下一代海洋科学家提供培训和工具，以在未来防治珊瑚疾病。疾病是在特定的宿主-病原体-环境条件下出现的一个复杂过程，疾病的爆发往往可以追溯到这三个组成部分之间的平衡受到干扰。珊瑚疾病的影响在未来的强度和地理范围上都可能增加;然而，由于缺乏一种利用多种流行病学工具来了解珊瑚疾病的病理学和发病机理的系统方法，我们了解或管理珊瑚礁生态系统疾病的能力受到了阻碍。令人惊讶的是，关于特定疾病是否可以传播给邻近的同种物种，或者某些疾病是否可以跨越物种边界传染的信息很少。在佛罗里达珊瑚礁区的多种珊瑚中爆发的组织丧失病提供了一个独特但时间敏感的机会来解决珊瑚中有关疾病发病机制的关键问题。拟议的研究将直接测试这种疾病爆发的传播和感染性，微生物组变化和宿主特异性，并使用团队成员以前使用的方法来分离和识别病原体。研究小组将与佛罗里达各机构的管理人员密切合作，参加每月的电话会议，并定期提供有关这项工作的最新情况。一名博士后研究员和一名本科生实习生将从事这项研究，并在微生物学研究的许多领域接受培训。研究人员将在整个佛罗里达群岛和佛罗里达东海岸的科学博物馆和环境教育设施等场所向公众发表演讲。

Corals are threatened by diseases globally, and understanding coral disease is key to protecting reefs. Diseases are a major cause of coral mortality, yet there is surprisingly little information on the causes and progression of diseases in corals. Currently there is a widespread coral disease outbreak occurring on the reefs of Florida that has already resulted in massive die-offs in multiple coral species. At least 13 species of corals have been affected with heavily impacted species being reduced to less than 3% of their initial populations. This unprecedented outbreak in multiple species of corals provides a unique but time-sensitive (outbreaks are ephemeral) opportunity to address critical questions about diseases in corals. This project will directly examine disease transmission, explore potential pathogens and examine coral defense mechanisms of affected and resistant species. The combined efforts of multiple researchers and agencies, addressing different components of the disease outbreak, will provide much needed answers to questions concerning marine diseases, which will likely be applicable not only to the Florida coral reefs but to coral diseases world-wide. This research will be beneficial to those who rely on coral reefs as a source for food, recreation, and coastal protection. Furthermore, this project is designed to give the next generation of marine scientists the training and tools to combat coral diseases in the future. Disease is a complex process emerging under specific host-pathogen-environmental conditions, and outbreaks can often be traced to a disturbance in the balance among the three components. The impact of coral diseases will likely increase in both intensity and geographic extent in the future; however, our ability to understand or manage diseases in coral reef ecosystems has been hampered by the lack of a systematic approach to understanding the pathology and pathogenesis of diseases in corals using multiple epidemiological tools. There is surprisingly little information on whether particular diseases are transmissible to neighboring conspecifics, or whether some diseases are infectious across species boundaries. An outbreak of tissue loss disease in multiple species of corals across the Florida reef tract provides a unique but time-sensitive opportunity to address critical questions about disease pathogenesis in corals. The proposed research will directly test the transmission and infectivity, microbiome changes and host specificity of this disease outbreak and use methods previously utilized by members of the team to isolate and identify the causative agent. The research team will work closely with managers in Florida agencies, attend monthly conference calls and provide regular updates about this work. A postdoctoral researcher and an undergraduate student intern will be engaged in this research and trained in many areas of microbiology research. Researchers will present lectures to the public at venues such as science museums and environmental education facilities throughout the Florida Keys and Florida east coast.