Live Training Workshop
Using A Topical Antibiotic to Treat Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease
In this thought-provoking live training event, Drs. Karen Neely and Brian Walker of Nova Southeastern University (NSU) share their success using a topical antibiotic to treat Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). Specifically, their research shows applying an amoxicillin paste to disease lesions can halt the spread of SCTLD on coral colonies, across most Caribbean species.
Spearheaded by PIMS as part of its involvement of the Bahamian SCTLD task force and hosted by our Executive Director Dr. Craig Dahlgren, this training video demonstrates how to assess SCTLD in the field, as well as best-practice methods for treatment. What’s more, the workshop overviews the criteria used to determine whether an infected coral colony should be prioritized for treatment.
In The Bahamas, the first outbreak of SCTLD was confirmed in 2020 near Grand Bahama. Since then, at least 18 species of coral have been infected on reefs off the southern and western shoreline of Grand Bahama; in these areas, up to 95% of some species were killed or infected with the disease. SCTLD has also been confirmed off Nassau.
