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Volume 12
Journal of Molecular and Genetic Medicine
ISSN: 1747-0862
May 21-23, 2018 Barcelona, Spain
&
Integrative Biology
6
th
International Conference on
Genomics and Molecular Biology
10
th
International Conference on
Genomics 2018 and Integrative Biology 2018
May 21-23, 2018
JOINT EVENT
Shifts in core bacterial microbiome of gorgonian sea fan related to necrotic-patch disease: Local
confinement of pathobiome may facilitate recovery
Elena Quintanilla Alcaide1
and
Justus Liebig2
1
BIOMMAR - Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
2
University Giessen, Germany
M
icrobiome disruptions triggering disease outbreaks are increasingly threatening corals worldwide. In the Tropical Eastern
Pacific, a necrotic-patch disease affecting gorgonian corals (sea fans,
Pacifigorgia
spp.) has been observed in recent years.
Massive mortalities of
Pacifigorgia
spp. have also been registered as a consequence of the incidence of this disease. However,
the composition of the microbiome and its disease-related disruptions remain unknown in these gorgonian corals. Here, we
analysed 16S rRNA gene amplicons from tissues of healthy colonies (n=20) and from symptomatic-asymptomatic tissues of
diseased colonies (n=19) of
Pacifigorgia cairnsi
to test for disease-related changes in the bacterial microbiome. We found that
potential endosymbionts dominate the core microbiome in healthy colonies. Moreover, healthy tissues differed in community
composition and functional profile from those of the symptomatic tissues but did not show differences to asymptomatic
tissues of the diseased colonies. Thus, potential endosymbionts in the core microbiome seem to be replaced by a set of more
diverse bacteria in the symptomatic tissues. Furthermore, according to a comparative taxonomy-based functional profiling,
the taxa that replaces the core microbiome in symptomatic tissues is characterized by heterotrophic, ammonia oxidizer and
de-halogenating bacteria, while is depleted in nitrite and sulfate reducers. In conjunction, our results suggest that the bacterial
consortium associated with the disease behaves opportunistically. We also conclude that the confinement of the pathobiome to
symptomatic tissues may facilitate colony recovery by the potential breakage of affected-necrotic areas, hence contributing to
colony resistance to disease and ultimately to the population resilience.
e.quintanilla10@uniandes.edu.coJ Mol Genet Med 2018, Volume 12
DOI: 10.4172/1747-0862-C2-028