RIYADH: Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have discovered that corals may be educated to resist illness better before an epidemic happens. This discovery may help protect reefs around the world.
According to the study, published in ISME Host & Microbe, corals exposed to inactive or sublethal concentrations of a pathogen developed more resistance when they came into contact with it again.
The process, called pathogen priming, is comparable to how immunizations prime the body to identify and react to potential dangers. Despite missing the adaptive immune systems present in humans and other animals, the study offers the first proof that corals are capable of developing a protective, immunological memory-like response.
It has long been thot by scientists that corals lack the biological machinery necessary to “remember” disease threats. The latest findings may open a new line of inquiry into how reef-building corals protect themselves from infection, suggesting they may be more advanced than previously believed. Coral disease is becoming an increasingly important challenge for reefs worldwide,” stated Raquel Peixoto, the study’s senior author and a marine science professor at KAUST.
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