Adapting the disease triad to a spectrum for coral disease
Brown, A.; Brandt, M.; Mydlarz, L.D.; Apprill, A. (2026). Adapting the disease triad to a spectrum for coral disease, in: Byers, J.E. et al. The ecology and evolution of marine parasites and disease. Ecology and evolution of infectious diseases series, : pp. 59-78. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/9780197790847.003.0005
In: Byers, J.E.; Blakeslee, A.M.H.; Wares, J.P. (Ed.) (2026). The ecology and evolution of marine parasites and disease. Ecology and evolution of infectious diseases series. Oxford University Press: New York. ISBN 9780197790809. 376 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/9780197790847.001.0001, more
In: Ecology and evolution of infectious diseases series. Oxford University Press: New York. , more
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| Author keywords |
disease triangle, dysbiosis, coral, environmental driver, pathogen diversity |
| Authors | | Top |
- Brown, A.
- Brandt, M.
- Mydlarz, L.D.
- Apprill, A.
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| Abstract |
Coral diseases arise from interactions among multiple hosts, pathogens, and environmental drivers. Thus, coral diseases do not typically conform to the traditional one pathogen–one host–one environmental driver model, making conceptual frameworks like the disease triangle overly simplified. The authors consider the disease triangle instead as a spectrum, which better highlights the variation that exists in coral (and likely other) diseases. The spectrum of coral disease ranges from one pathogen to pathogenic consortiums and from one or two hosts to over 20 host genera, and disease onset is often influenced by one or many environmental drivers. Their synthesis of coral diseases identified co-varying patterns when considering disease as a spectrum, including a positive association between pathogen and host complexity. This spectrum is highlighted by some of the best-studied diseases, like aspergillosis, white band disease, and stony coral tissue loss disease, and the different insights that these diseases provide due to the variation inherent within and across each of them. Although ocean warming influences dynamics across almost all coral diseases, the role of the environment in most coral diseases is not well defined, and studies on multiple interacting environmental stressors are an important direction for future research. The authors also suggest that ecosystem health in general is critical to evaluate mechanisms of resistance and resilience of corals to disease. As climate change is rapidly altering environments and likely resulting in increases in disease outbreaks and emergence, the authors propose the use of a spectrum analogy to highlight the variation in the host, pathogen, and environment associated with coral diseases. |
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