PCR-based Assay for Detection of Five Coral Pathogens

Abstract

Over the last 30 years, coral reef assessment has provided an extensive description of certain responses at population and community levels in terms of coral cover, diversity and population dynamics of other reef species. However, with only these descriptive approaches for assessment are incapable of identifying the causes of deterioration of coral reef ecosystems. Some microorganisms have been identified as pathogenic agents responsible for various outbreaks of coral disease. But most of diseases have been implicated within a subset of corals, leaving differential in our knowledge of the host range and geographic extent of a given pathogen. In this study, we purposed the rapid and inexpensive detection of pathogens in coral species using PCR-based assays. Total 4 pathogen-specific 16s rDNA primer sets and 1 Vibrio choleras Lux R gene primer set were designed for detecting coral pathogenic disease. The pathogenic bacteria used in this study are Aurantimonas coralicida, Serratia marcescens, Vibrio shilonii, Vibrio coralliilyticus, and Vibrio carchariae. The assay was applied to coral samples from the Jeju Island, Japan and Taiwan (Jeju Island -Sungsan, Munsum Japan - Wakayama , Kochi Taiwan - Green Island, Kenting). After the identification of infected samples, the PCR-based assay is to be evaluated for detection of presence of pathogenic bacteria in corals. these descriptive approaches for assessment are incapable of identifying the causes of deterioration of coral reef ecosystems. Some microorganisms have been identified as pathogenic agents responsible for various outbreaks of coral disease. But most of diseases have been implicated within a subset of corals, leaving differential in our knowledge of the host range and geographic extent of a given pathogen. In this study, we purposed the rapid and inexpensive detection of pathogens in coral species using PCR-based assays. Total 4 pathogen-specific 16s rDNA primer sets and 1 Vibrio choleras Lux R gene primer set were designed for detecting coral pathogenic disease. The pathogenic bacteria used in this study are Aurantimonas coralicida, Serratia marcescens, Vibrio shilonii, Vibrio coralliilyticus, and Vibrio carchariae. The assay was applied to coral samples from the Jeju Island, Japan and Taiwan (Jeju Island -Sungsan, Munsum Japan - Wakayama , Kochi Taiwan - Green Island, Kenting). After the identification of infected samples, the PCR-based assay is to be evaluated for detection of presence of pathogenic bacteria in corals.