History of perspectives on the study of coral disease in the eastern tropical Pacific

Histopatological effects of bleaching and disease on the coral Siderastrea stellata from coastal reefs of Brazil

“…Studies concerning the incidence and prevalence of diseases in corals are one of many threats to coral reefs all around world, and the numbers of species affected have increased considerably in recent years (Traylor-Knowles et al, 2017;Rodríguez-Villalobos & Reyes-Bonilla, 2019). Disease events have been associated with significant declines in the populations of reef-building species and changes in the community dynamics of corals affecting the trophic economy and coral reefs productivity (Traylor-Knowles et al, 2017;Wall et al, 2018;Rodríguez-Villalobos & Reyes-Bonilla, 2019).…”

“…The history of investigations into coral diseases dates to approximately 1970, with the first reports of black band disease (BBD) in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions (Antonius, 1988;Richardson, 1998). More than thirty-five different types of diseases affecting corals have now been reported from approximately 70 countries (Porter et al, 2011;Palmer et al, 2011;Rodríguez-Villalobos & Reyes-Bonilla, 2019), but despite the progressive increase in publications on the subject, most diseases and their etiological agents remain unclear. Also, most of the work on coral diseases involved only field research with little histopathology, thus making it difficult to understand the causes of coral diseases.…”

A widespread necrotizing disease affecting Palythoa caribaeorum (Duchassaing and Michelotti, 1860) on coastal reefs in northeastern Brazil

“…The history of studies on diseases in benthic marine organisms dates back to approximately 1970. Furthermore, although today there are more than 35 different types of diseases that affect cnidarians in about 70 countries (Palmer et al, 2012;Rodríguez-Villalobos and Reyes-Bonilla, 2019), most diseases were described to corals, and almost nothing was recorded for zoantharians.…”

“…Most diseases and their etiological agents remain uncertain due to difficulties encountered in identifying the pathogens involved (Palmer et al, 2011;Rodríguez-Villalobos and Reyes-Bonilla, 2019). Recent studies have indicated that many diseases are associated with at least one community complex of microorganisms that involve many phyla, such as bacteria, fungi, and cyanobacteria.…”