RIYADH: Scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have found that corals can be trained to better withstand disease before an outbreak occurs, a finding that could eventually help protect reefs worldwide.
The study, published in ISME Host Microbe, found that corals exposed to sublethal doses or inactive forms of a disease-causing pathogen became more resistant when they encountered the disease again.
Known as pathogen priming, the process is similar to how vaccines prepare the body to recognize and respond to future threats.
The discovery provides the first evidence that corals can develop a protective, immune memory-like response despite lacking the adaptive immune systems found in humans and other vertebrates.
Scientists have long believed that corals lacked the biological machinery needed to “remember” disease threats. The new findings suggest they may be more sophisticated than previously thought, opening a new avenue of research into how reef-building corals defend themselves against infection.
