{
  "id": 98102,
  "title": "Tiny predatory bacteria help protect endangered Caribbean corals",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/tiny-predatory-bacteria-help-protect-endangered-caribbean-corals",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-03T18:20:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-tiny-predatory-bacteria-endangered-caribbean.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Scientists have discovered that tiny predatory bacteria may offer a new method to safeguard some of the Caribbean's most threatened corals from a devastating disease. The disease, caused by the Vibrio coralliilyticus pathogen, results in widespread tissue loss and mortality among stony corals. In their study, researchers found that corals exposed to the predatory bacteria showed significantly better outcomes compared to untreated corals. Within 48 hours, untreated corals bleached, whereas over half of the corals treated with the predatory bacteria showed no signs of bleaching beyond the infection site. This bacterium functions like a living probiotic, effectively halting disease progression without causing adverse side effects. The study, titled \"Halobacteriovorax Halts Disease Progression in Endangered Caribbean Corals,\" was published in The ISME Journal and involved researchers from Georgia Tech, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Lead author Lauren Speare, an assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences, became intrigued by this research during her postdoctoral training with Rebecca Vega Thurber. The team conducted experiments at the Mote Mote's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research and Restoration in Florida, where they used a small agar patch containing the disease-causing pathogens to simulate natural infections. They then treated the coral with the predatory bacteria, which were delivered directly into the sick coral's tank. The researchers believe their methods could be easily adapted for coral restoration efforts, providing a targeted approach to protect vulnerable coral reefs.",
  "summary": "A microscopic predator may offer a new way to protect some of the Caribbean's most endangered corals. Georgia Tech researchers found that tiny predatory bacteria can halt the spread of a destructive coral disease by hunting and consuming pathogens responsible for the infection.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}