Predatory bacteria help Caribbean corals resist disease, study finds

In a study published in The ISME Journal, researchers in Florida found that treating endangered staghorn coral fragments with Halobacteriovorax, a bacterium that hunts other bacteria, confined disease in 57% of cases. The predator reduced harmful Vibrio bacteria while leaving the coral's beneficial microbiome largely intact, offering a potential targeted alternative to antibiotics. However, the approach is still at an early, laboratory-only stage, requiring field trials before conservation use.