Antibiotic type and dose variably affect microbiomes of a disease-resistant Acropora cervicornis genotype
Abstract Background As coral diseases become more prevalent and frequent, the need for new intervention strategies also increases to counteract the rapid spread of disease. Recent advances in coral disease mitigation have resulted in increased use of antibiotics on reefs, as their application may ha...
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BMC
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Environmental Microbiome |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-025-00709-2 |
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| author | Sunni Patton Denise P. Silva Eddie Fuques Grace Klinges Erinn M. Muller Rebecca L. Vega Thurber |
| author_facet | Sunni Patton Denise P. Silva Eddie Fuques Grace Klinges Erinn M. Muller Rebecca L. Vega Thurber |
| author_sort | Sunni Patton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background As coral diseases become more prevalent and frequent, the need for new intervention strategies also increases to counteract the rapid spread of disease. Recent advances in coral disease mitigation have resulted in increased use of antibiotics on reefs, as their application may halt disease lesion progression. Although efficacious, consequences of deliberate microbiome manipulation resulting from antibiotic administration are less well-understood– especially in non-diseased corals that appear visually healthy. Therefore, to understand how apparently healthy corals are affected by antibiotics, we investigated how three individual antibiotics, and a mixture of the three, impact the microbiome structure and diversity of a disease-resistant Caribbean staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) genotype. Over a 96-hour, aquarium-based antibiotic exposure experiment, we collected and processed coral tissue and water samples for 16S rRNA gene analysis. Results We found that antibiotic type and dose distinctively impact microbiome alpha diversity, beta diversity, and community composition. In experimental controls, microbiome composition was dominated by an unclassified bacterial taxon from the order Campylobacterales, while each antibiotic treatment significantly reduced the relative abundance of this taxon. Those taxa that persisted following antibiotic treatment largely differed by antibiotic type and dose, thereby indicating that antibiotic treatment may result in varying potential for opportunist establishment. Conclusion Together, these data suggest that antibiotics induce microbiome dysbiosis– hallmarked by the loss of a dominant bacterium and the increase in taxa associated with coral stress responses. Understanding the off-target consequences of antibiotic administration is critical not only for informed, long-term coral restoration practices, but also for highlighting the importance of responsible antibiotic dissemination into natural environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1362e7df3a7541e98c408c2ed6db9ba3 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2524-6372 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Microbiome |
| spelling | doaj-art-1362e7df3a7541e98c408c2ed6db9ba32025-08-20T01:47:32ZengBMCEnvironmental Microbiome2524-63722025-05-0120111710.1186/s40793-025-00709-2Antibiotic type and dose variably affect microbiomes of a disease-resistant Acropora cervicornis genotypeSunni Patton0Denise P. Silva1Eddie Fuques2Grace Klinges3Erinn M. Muller4Rebecca L. Vega Thurber5Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of CaliforniaEcology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of CaliforniaEcology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of CaliforniaCenter for Global Discovery and Conservation Science, Arizona State UniversityMote Marine LaboratoryEcology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of CaliforniaAbstract Background As coral diseases become more prevalent and frequent, the need for new intervention strategies also increases to counteract the rapid spread of disease. Recent advances in coral disease mitigation have resulted in increased use of antibiotics on reefs, as their application may halt disease lesion progression. Although efficacious, consequences of deliberate microbiome manipulation resulting from antibiotic administration are less well-understood– especially in non-diseased corals that appear visually healthy. Therefore, to understand how apparently healthy corals are affected by antibiotics, we investigated how three individual antibiotics, and a mixture of the three, impact the microbiome structure and diversity of a disease-resistant Caribbean staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) genotype. Over a 96-hour, aquarium-based antibiotic exposure experiment, we collected and processed coral tissue and water samples for 16S rRNA gene analysis. Results We found that antibiotic type and dose distinctively impact microbiome alpha diversity, beta diversity, and community composition. In experimental controls, microbiome composition was dominated by an unclassified bacterial taxon from the order Campylobacterales, while each antibiotic treatment significantly reduced the relative abundance of this taxon. Those taxa that persisted following antibiotic treatment largely differed by antibiotic type and dose, thereby indicating that antibiotic treatment may result in varying potential for opportunist establishment. Conclusion Together, these data suggest that antibiotics induce microbiome dysbiosis– hallmarked by the loss of a dominant bacterium and the increase in taxa associated with coral stress responses. Understanding the off-target consequences of antibiotic administration is critical not only for informed, long-term coral restoration practices, but also for highlighting the importance of responsible antibiotic dissemination into natural environments.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-025-00709-2Acropora cervicornisAntibioticsDisease-resistanceMicrobiome |
| spellingShingle | Sunni Patton Denise P. Silva Eddie Fuques Grace Klinges Erinn M. Muller Rebecca L. Vega Thurber Antibiotic type and dose variably affect microbiomes of a disease-resistant Acropora cervicornis genotype Environmental Microbiome Acropora cervicornis Antibiotics Disease-resistance Microbiome |
| title | Antibiotic type and dose variably affect microbiomes of a disease-resistant Acropora cervicornis genotype |
| title_full | Antibiotic type and dose variably affect microbiomes of a disease-resistant Acropora cervicornis genotype |
| title_fullStr | Antibiotic type and dose variably affect microbiomes of a disease-resistant Acropora cervicornis genotype |
| title_full_unstemmed | Antibiotic type and dose variably affect microbiomes of a disease-resistant Acropora cervicornis genotype |
| title_short | Antibiotic type and dose variably affect microbiomes of a disease-resistant Acropora cervicornis genotype |
| title_sort | antibiotic type and dose variably affect microbiomes of a disease resistant acropora cervicornis genotype |
| topic | Acropora cervicornis Antibiotics Disease-resistance Microbiome |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-025-00709-2 |
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