Chemical and genomic characterization of a potential probiotic treatment for stony coral tissue loss disease

Considered one of the most devastating coral disease outbreaks in history, stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) is currently spreading throughout Florida’s coral reefs and the greater Caribbean. SCTLD affects at least two dozen different coral species and has been implicated in extensive losses of coral cover. Here we show Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain McH1-7 has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against SCTLD-associated bacterial isolates. Chemical analyses indicated McH1-7 produces at least two potential antibacterials, korormicin and tetrabromopyrrole, while genomic analysis identified the genes potentially encoding an L-amino acid oxidase and multiple antibacterial metalloproteases (pseudoalterins). During laboratory trials, McH1-7 arrested or slowed disease progression on 68.2% of diseased Montastraea cavernosa fragments treated ( n = 22), and it prevented disease transmission by 100% ( n = 12). McH1-7 is the most chemically characterized coral probiotic that is an effective prophylactic and direct treatment for the destructive SCTLD as well as a potential alternative to antibiotic use. A multidisciplinary approach identifies broad-spectrum antibacterial activity of Pseudoalteromonas sp. strain McH1-7 against stony coral tissue loss disease, which is threatening Caribbean coral reefs.