Marine Pollution as a Trigger of Discoloration Phenomenon in The Hard Coral, Pocillopora Species at The Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Egypt: Pathological and Molecular Evidences

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine & Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, 12211, Egypt

2 Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, 12211, Egypt

3 Marine Science Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, 41511 - Ismailia, EGYPT

4 Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 11221, Egypt

Abstract

Hard corals are precious marine creatures that comprise a complex form of symbiosis between symbiont algae and coral holobiont. For decades, corals have been challenged by disastrous events of climatic and anthropogenic etiologies. Such complex interactions have resulted in devastating disease episodes among coral populations worldwide. There is a scarcity of information about diseases of hard corals in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Egypt. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate various diseases of hard corals in this pristine habitat within the Red Sea. Whitening and dark green dots were the most noticeable morphopathology among hard coral samples collected from Gulf of Aqaba. Some human-based pathogens, such as Rothia kristinae, Cupriavidus pauculus, and Delftia acidovorans, were isolated from some of the examined coral tissues, while the Burkholderia cepacia group was isolated from the nearby sediment. The final identities of the above-mentioned bacterial isolates have been molecularly confirmed using 16S RNA sequence analysis. Pathologically, diseased corals have been observed with changes such as some forms of tissue losses, degenerative changes, and eosinophilic granular amoebocytes/agranular cells infiltration. The frequent detection of some microbial pathogens of human origin could suggest deleterious forms of environmental pollution of anthropogenic origin. Ultimately, the entire existence of hard coral populations is mostly threatened by swiftly erupting climatic changes as well as environmental aquatic pollution. Thus, the current study concludes the real need for extensive ecological, biological, pathological, and immunological studies to determine the eminent threats and propose possible control means for better/sustainable hard coral populations.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

AEBY, G. S., WORK, T. M., RAJ, K. D., GILBERT, M., and PATTERSON, E., 2017. Manual for Coral Disease Research. Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI), Special Research Publication No.14, 53p.
AINSWORTH, T. D., KVENNEFORS, E. C., BLACKALL, L. L., FINE, M., and HOEGH-GULDBERG, O., 2007. Disease and cell death in white syndrome of Acroporid corals on the Great Barrier Reef. Marine Biology, 151(1), 19–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-006-0449-3
ALI, AH. A. M., HAMED, M. A., and ABD EL-AZIM, H., 2011. Heavy metals distribution in the coral reef ecosystems of the Northern Red Sea. Helgoland Marine Research, 65(1), 67–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10152-010-0202-7
AMMAR, M. S. A., ASHOUR, F., and ABDELAZIM, H., 2013. Coral disease distribution at Ras Mohammed and the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Egypt. Nusantara Bioscience, 5(1).‏ https://doi.org/10.13057/nusbiosci/n050106
BALADA-LLASAT, J. M., ELKINS, C., SWYERS, L., BANNERMAN, T., and PANCHOLI, P., 2010. Pseudo-outbreak of Cupriavidus pauculus infection at an outpatient clinic related to rinsing culturette swabs in tap water. Journal of clinical microbiology, 48(7), 2645–2647. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01874-09
BIELMYER, G. K., GROSELL, M., BHAGOOLI, R., BAKER, A. C., LANGDON, C., GILLETTE, P., and CAPO, T. R., 2010. Differential effects of copper on three species of scleractinian corals and their algal symbionts (Symbiodinium spp.), Aquatic Toxicology, Volume 97, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 125-133, ISSN 0166-445X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2009.12.021
BILGIN, H., SARMIS, A., TIGEN, E., SOYLETIR, G., and MULAZIMOGLU, L., 2015. Delftia acidovorans: a rare pathogen in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology, 26(5), 277-279. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/973284
BOURNE, D. G.,  and  MUNN, C. B., 2005. Diversity of bacteria associated with the coral Pocillopora damicornis from the Great Barrier Reef. Environmental Microbiology, 7(8), 1162–1174. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2005.00793.x
BRUCKNER, A. W. 2015. History of coral disease research. Diseases of coral, 52-84. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118828502.ch5
BRUNO, D. W., NOWAK, B., and ELLIOTT, D. G., 2006. Guide to the identification of fish protozoan and metazoan parasites in stained tissue sections. Diseases of aquatic organisms, 70(1-2), 1-36.‏ https://doi.org/10.3354/dao070001
CAUDURO, G. P., LEAL, A. L., MARMITT, M., DE ÁVILA, L. G., KERN, G., QUADROS, P. D., MAHENTHIRALINGAM, E., and VALIATI, V. H., 2021. New benzo(a)pyrene-degrading strains of the Burkholderia cepacia complex prospected from activated sludge in a petrochemical wastewater treatment plant. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 193(4), 163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-08952-z
DAR, M. A., SOLIMAN, F. A., and Abd ALLAH, I. M., 2018. The Contributions of Flashfloods on the Heavy Metals Incorporations Within the Coral Skeletons at Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba, Egypt. International Journal of Ecotoxicology and Ecobiology. Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 11-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijee.20180301.13
DUDEJA, M., TEWARI, R., DAS, A. K., and NANDY, S., 2013. Kocuria kristinae in catheter associated urinary tract infection: a case report. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR, 7(8), 1692–1693. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2013/6077.3247
EISSA, A. E., and  ZAKI, M. M., 2011. The impact of global climatic changes on the aquatic environment. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 4, 251-259.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proenv.2011.03.030
FAIRFAX, M. R., and SALIMNIA, H., 2013. Diagnostic molecular microbiology: a 2013 snapshot. Clinics in laboratory medicine, 33(4), 787–803. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cll.2013.08.003
HALL, T. A. 1999. BioEdit: a user-friendly biological sequence alignment editor and analysis program for Windows 95/98/NT. In Nucleic acids symposium series. 41,95-98. https://doi.org/10.14601/Phytopathol_Mediterr-14998u1.29
HASSAN, R. M., BASSIOUNY, D. M., and MATAR, Y., 2016. Bacteremia Caused by Kocuria kristinae from Egypt: Are There More? A Case Report and Review of Literature. Case reports in infectious diseases, 2016, 6318064. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6318064
HAWTHORN, A., BERZINS, I. K., DENNIS, M. M., KIUPEL, M., NEWTON, A. L., PETERS, E. C., REYES, V. A., and WORK, T. M., 2023. An introduction to lesions and histology of scleractinian corals. Veterinary pathology, 60(5), 529–546. https://doi.org/10.1177/03009858231189289
KUMAR, S., STECHER, G., LI, M., KNYAZ, C., and TAMURA, K., 2018. MEGA X: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis across computing platforms. Molecular biology and evolution, 35(6), 1547. ‏https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy/096
LI, J., and ZHANG, S., 2020. Kocuria coralli sp. Nov., a novel actinobacterium isolated from coral reef seawater. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 70(2). https://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.003825
MAHENTHIRALINGAM, E., BALDWIN, A., and DOWSON, C. G., 2008. Burkholderia cepacia complex bacteria: opportunistic pathogens with important natural biology. Journal of applied microbiology, 104(6), 1539-1551.‏ https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2007.03706.x
MERA, H., and BOURNE, D. G., 2018. Disentangling causation: complex roles of coral‐associated microorganisms in disease. Environmental microbiology, 20(2), 431-449.‏ https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.13958
MERON, D., ATIAS, E., IASUR KRUH, L., ELIFANTZ, H., MINZ, D., FINE, M., and BANIN, E., 2011. The impact of reduced pH on the microbial community of the coral Acropora eurystoma. ISME Journal, 5(1), 51–60. https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2010.102
NEAVE, M. J., APPRILL, A., AEBY, G., MIYAKE, S., and VOOLSTRA, C. R., 2019. Microbial Communities of Red Sea Coral Reefs (pp. 53–68). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05802-9_4
NOAA, 2019. Coral reef ecosystems. National Ocean Service website,:https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/marine-life/coral-reef-ecosystems.html,1/02/19
NOUIOUI, I., CARRO, L., GARCÍA-LÓPEZ, M., MEIER-KOLTHOFF, J. P., WOYKE, T., KYRPIDES, N. C., PUKALL, R., KLENK, H. P., GOODFELLOW, M., and GÖKER, M., 2018. Genome-Based Taxonomic Classification of the Phylum Actinobacteria. Frontiers in microbiology, 9, 2007. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02007
PAN, Y., GAO, S. H., GE, C., GAO, Q., HUANG, S., KANG, Y., LUO, G., ZHANG, Z., FAN, L., ZHU, Y., and WANG, A., 2023. Removing microplastics from aquatic environments: A critical review. Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, 100222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ese.2022.100222
PINCUS, D. H. 2006. Microbial identification using the bioMérieux Vitek® 2 system. Encyclopedia of Rapid Microbiological Methods. Bethesda, MD: Parenteral Drug Association, 1-32.
PORTER, J. W., DUSTAN, P., JAAP, W. C., PATTERSON, K. L., KOSMYNIN, V., MEIER, O. W., PATTERSON, M. E., and PARSONS, M., 2001. Patterns of spread of coral disease in the Florida Keys. In: Porter JW (eds) The Ecology and Etiology of Newly Emerging Marine Diseases. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 159. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3284-0_1
PRICE, K. L., and PETERS, E. C., 2018. Histological Techniques for Corals. Ebook. Kathy L Price, Annapolis, MD, and Esther C Peters, Annandale, VA.
RENZI, J. J., SHAVER, E. C., BURKEPILE, D. E., and SILLIMAN, B. R., 2022. The role of predators in coral disease dynamics. In Coral Reefs. Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-022-02219-w
ROBERTS, R. J., SMAIL, D. A., and MUNRO, E. S., 2012. Laboratory methods, p 439–481. In Roberts RJ (ed), Fish pathology, 4th ed, Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, United Kingdom.
RODRÍGUEZ-GÓMEZ, C., DURÁN-RIVEROLL, L. M., OKOLODKOV, Y. B., OLIART-ROS, R. M., GARCÍA-CASILLAS, A. M., and CEMBELLA, A. D., 2021. Diversity of Bacterioplankton and Bacteriobenthos from the Veracruz Reef System, Southwestern Gulf of Mexico. Microorganisms, 9(3), 619. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9030619
ROSENBERG, E., KOREN, O., RESHEF, L., EFRONY, R., and ZILBER-ROSENBERG, I., 2007. The role of microorganisms in coral health, disease, and evolution. In Nature Reviews Microbiology (Vol. 5, Issue 5, pp. 355–362). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1635
SIMPSON, S. 2020. A Pilot Study of the Barbadian Reef Microbiome: New Approaches for Comparative Analyses. Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University.
STYKOVÁ, E., NEMCOVÁ, R., GANCARČÍKOVÁ, S., VALOCKÝ, I., and LAUKOVÁ, A., 2016. Bovine vaginal strain Kocuria kristinae and its characterization. Folia microbiologica, 61(3), 243–248. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12223-015-0431-x
SUTHERLAND, K. P., PORTER, J. W., and TORRES, C., 2004. Disease and immunity in Caribbean and Indo-Pacific zooxanthellate corals. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 266, 273–302. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps266273
VAN OPPEN, J. H., and BLACKALL, L. L., 2019. Coral microbiome dynamics, functions, and design in a changing world. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 17(9), 557–567. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-019-0223-4
VIAL, L., CHAPALAIN, A., GROLEAU, M. C., and DÉZIEL, E., 2011. The various lifestyles of the Burkholderia cepacia complex species: a tribute to adaptation. Environmental Microbiology, 13(1), 1-12.‏ https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2010.02343.x
WEISBURG, W. G., BARNS, S. M., PELLETIER, D. A., and LANE, D. J., 1991. 16S ribosomal DNA amplification for phylogenetic study. Journal of bacteriology, 173(2), 697-703. https://doi.org/10.1128/jb.173.2.697-703.1991
WINKLER, R., ANTONIUS, A., and RENEGAR, D. A., 2004. The skeleton eroding band disease on coral reefs of Aqaba, red sea. Marine Ecology, 25(2), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0485.2004.00020.x
WOODLEY, C. M., BRUCKNER, A. W., and MCLENON, A. L., 2008. Field Manual for the Investigation of Coral Disease Outbreaks. NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NCCOS 80 and CRCP 6. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD 85pp.
WORK, T. M., and AEBY, G. S., 2006. Systematically describing gross lesions in corals. 70, 155–160. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao070155
WORK, T. M., and AEBY, G. S., 2014. Microbial aggregates within tissues infect a diversity of corals throughout the Indo-Pacific. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 500, 1-9.‏ https://doi.org/10.3354/MEPS10698
WORK, T. M. 2012. Collecting corals for histopathology. A practical guide. Madison, WI: U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center.
WORMS EDITORIAL BOARD, 2023. World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. Accessed 2023-03-08. https://doi.org/10.14284/170
ZENG, W., ZHANG, S., XIA, M., WU, X., QIU, G., and SHEN, L., 2020. Insights into the production of extracellular polymeric substances of Cupriavidus pauculus 1490 under the stimulation of heavy metal ions. RSC advances, 10(34), 20385-20394. https://doi.org/10.1039/c9ra10560c
ZHOU, Z., YU, X., TANG, J., WU, Y., WANG, L., and HUANG, B., 2018. Systemic response of the stony coral Pocillopora damicornis against acute cadmium stress. Aquatic Toxicology, 194, 132-139.‏ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2017.11.013
ZIEGLER, M., ROIK, A., PORTER, A., ZUBIER, K., MUDARRIS, M. S., ORMOND, R., and VOOLSTRA, C. R., 2016. Coral microbial community dynamics in response to anthropogenic impacts near a major city in the central Red Sea. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 105(2), 629–640. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.MARPOLBUL.2015.12.045

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 07 July 2024
  • Revise Date: 22 August 2024
  • Accept Date: 24 August 2024

Share

How to cite

Statistics