CORAL REEF KILL - WORLDWIDE (02): VIRUSES?
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From: Thierry M Work <thierry_work@usgs.gov>
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2012
I read with interest the recent posting about herpes and coral disease. Clearly coral reefs globally are in a parlous state, and in many cases, diseases of unknown etiology are playing a major role.
Unfortunately, studies such as the one recently posted (and others involving bacteria) do little to shed light on the issue and actually detract from the fundamental question which is, at the cellular level, what is killing corals?
Until one develops knowledge of how pathogens interact with coral cells and cause death, viral and bacterial genomics will serve only to confuse the issue. It is here that we need to carefully reconsider the fundamentals and apply the time tested tools of Galen, Hippocrates, and Virchow to gain a better understanding of how diseases affect corals at the gross and cellular level, formulate hypotheses of what may be causing disease based on sound morphologic descriptions, and proceed thence with appropriate molecular and other tools to confirm or deny these hypotheses.
This approach has worked well to elucidate many wildlife diseases and applies equally to corals (1). With this coral disease crisis, we are in many ways seeing a recapitulation of the history of medicine in microcosom, except that instead of the ancient Romans postulating swamp gas as a cause of malaria, we are now bringing to bear molecular genomics to pre-emptively conclude that certain infectious agents are killing corals. If progress is to be made on this issue, then we must strive to mend the disconnect between coral ecology and biomedical science. Hopefully, this message will encourage readers of Promed with solid knowledge of animal disease investigation to get involved, collaborate with coral ecologists, and help address this very dire situation of coral declines that is currently unfolding.
(1) Work, T. M., Richardson, L. L., Reynolds, T. R., & Willis, B. L.
(2008). Biomedical and veterinary science can increase our understanding of coral disease. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 362, 63-70.
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Communicated by:
Thierry M. Work
<thierry_work@usgs.gov>
Wildlife Disease Specialist
U. S. Geological Survey
National Wildlife Health Center-Honolulu Field Station Honolulu, HI 96850, USA Web:http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/hfs/
[It is great to have such thoughtful and sharp readers to provide this commentary. Thank you!!! - Mod.TG]]
[see also:
Coral reef kill - worldwide: viruses? 20120330.1085191 Montipora white syndrome, coral reef - USA: (HI) 20120109.1004413
2011
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White pox coral disease - USA: (FL) 20110820.2527 2010
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Coral reef disease, link to human Serratia strains 20101024.3861 Coral reef bleaching - Caribbean: temperature related 20101020.3796 Montipora white syndrome, coral reef - USA (02): (HI) 20100415.1220 Montipora white syndrome, coral reef - USA: (HI) 20100403.1078
2007
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Vibrio, rare coral - UK 20070905.2933
Coral reef kill - Costa Rica 20070904.2915 Coral reef kill - Pacific Region 20070810.2600
2004
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Coral reef kills - USA (FL)(02) 20040327.0846 Coral reef kills - USA (FL) 20040320.0777
2002
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Coral reef kills, unknown etiology - Australia 20021023.5624 Coral reef kills, human waste suspected - Caribbean 20020627.4622 2000
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Coral reef kills - Belize 20000510.0713
1999
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Coral reef kills & potential human disease (02) 19990204.0161 Coral reef kills & potential human disease 19990124.0111
1998
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Coral reef bleaching & El Nino - Indian Ocean (02) 19981113.2187 Coral reef bleaching, El Nino effects - Indian Ocean 19980705.1246 Coral reef kills, etiology determined - USA 19980415.0693
1996
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White pox, coral reefs - Florida, USA (02) 19961231.2165 White Pox, coral reefs - Florida, USA 19961228.2160] ...................................tg/mpp/ll
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