Data From: Antibiotic treatment ameliorates the impact of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) on coral communities

Stony coral tissue loss disease has spread widely in the Caribbean and causes substantial changes to coral community composition because of its broad host range and high fatality rate. To reduce SCTLD impacts, intervention programs throughout the region have divers treating corals with antibiotics. We assessed the effect of antibiotic treatment in the British Virgin Islands by comparing coral communities at 13 treated sites to those at 13 untreated sites. The prevalence of white syndromes (assumed to be primarily SCTLD), the severity of white syndrome lesions, partial colony mortality and complete colony mortality all showed a pattern consistent with benefits of treatment: they were reduced at treated sites but only for species of medium- and high-susceptibility to SCTLD. In contrast, the prevalence and severity of lesions from other diseases, and other causes of tissue loss, were all unrelated to treatment. Re-ordering of rank abundance at the community-level was also consistent with a positive effect of treatment because rare, highly SCTLD-susceptible species increased slightly in relative cover at treated sites. Although there was limited statistical support for these responses individually, collectively the overall pattern of results indicates a modest beneficial effect of the intervention program. Diver-based intervention programs using antibiotics are thus a viable part of management plans for STLD at the epidemic stage.

石珊瑚组织损失病（Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease，简称SCTLD）已在加勒比海地区广泛传播，因其宿主范围广泛且致死率极高，正大幅改变珊瑚群落的组成结构。为减轻SCTLD造成的影响，该区域各地的干预项目均由潜水员使用抗生素对珊瑚进行处理。本研究在英属维尔京群岛开展了抗生素处理效果评估，对比了13个经抗生素处理的样点与13个未处理样点的珊瑚群落状况。白色综合征（推测主要由SCTLD引发）的检出率、病灶严重程度、珊瑚群体部分死亡与完全死亡情况，均呈现出与治疗获益相符的模式：经处理样点中，此类指标仅在对SCTLD具有中、高易感性的珊瑚物种身上出现下降。与之形成对比的是，其他疾病引发的病灶检出率与严重程度，以及其他导致组织损失的因素，均与抗生素处理无关。群落层面的丰度排序发生重构，也印证了治疗的积极效果：经处理样点中，罕见且对SCTLD高易感的珊瑚物种的相对覆盖度略有提升。尽管各项指标单独来看的统计学支撑有限，但整体结果的综合模式表明，该干预项目产生了适度的有益效果。因此，由潜水员实施的抗生素干预方案，在疫情阶段可作为SCTLD防治管理计划中的可行组成部分。