May 9, 2024

Chlamydia-Like Bacteria Discovered in Great Barrier Reef

” We worked with Chlamydiales experts Dr. Astrid Collingro and Professor Matthias Horn from the University of Vienna, and found that these germs take nutrients and energy from their hosts to endure,” Dr. Maire stated. “The unique Chlamydiales show numerous resemblances with mammalian pathogens, but we are unsure if they are destructive or beneficial to corals. There is a possibility that this bacterium gets nutrients and energy from other coral-associated germs, and for those of us working to understand coral biology, the possibility that the germs living inside coral tissues are engaging with each other is rather exhilarating.”.
Senior author of the research study, University of Melbourne Professor Madeleine van Oppen, said the other bacterium discovery, Endozoicomonas is understood to be widespread in corals and is normally considered helpful due to its capability to produce B vitamins and antimicrobial compounds..
” One of the focus locations in my lab is the advancement of bacterial probiotics for corals, assisting to enhance their resistance to thermal tension and survival rates caused by climate warming,” Professor van Oppen stated. ” We still understand very little about the functions of coral-associated bacteria, and this brand-new research study will assist us to determine whether probiotics are a feasible option and if germs such as Endozoicomonas are best placed to do the job.”.
Reference: “Colocalization and possible interactions of Endozoicomonas and chlamydiae in microbial aggregates of the coral Pocillopora acuta” by Justin Maire, Kshitij Tandon, Astrid Collingro, Allison van de Meene, Katarina Damjanovic, Cecilie Ravn Gotze, Sophie Stephenson, Gayle K. Philip, Matthias Horn, Neal E. Cantin, Linda L. Blackall and Madeleine J. H. van Oppen, 17 May 2023, Science Advances.DOI: 10.1126/ sciadv.adg0773.

Researchers have determined a Chlamydia-like bacteria and Endozoicomonas in the coral tissues of the Great Barrier Reef, supplying novel insights into the coral microbiome and its potential ramifications for reef health. The findings, that include a first-ever description of Chlamydiales in corals, highlight the possible nutrient and energy exchange between coral-associated bacteria and their hosts.
Scientists have actually recently found a Chlamydia-like bacteria in corals of the Great Barrier Reef. This discovery, published in the journal Science Advances, could supply essential insights into the microbiome of corals and its possible ramifications on the health of coral reefs.
The study was conducted by the University of Melbourne, in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (Townsville) and the University of Vienna. The research determined 2 kinds of bacterial groups within the coral tissue, among which closely looks like the germs causing Chlamydia (Chlamydiales), and the other being Endozoicomonas.
The research study, moneyed by an ARC Laureate Fellowship, includes another layer of intricacy to the understanding of coral reef health. Lead scientist from the Faculty of Science at the University of Melbourne, Dr. Justin Maire, said Chlamydiales– a bacterial order which contains the pathogens accountable for chlamydia infections in mammals– has actually never ever been described before in corals..