Identification and virulence testing of symbiont-associated viral particles from Florida corals

This was a continuation project from FY 21-22 that focused on identifying the potential viruses observed to be associated with microalgae within Florida corals and determining if they were associated with disease. Using multiple lines of methodology, the research team found that while there was an overall increase in the number and types of viruses present in diseased corals, a single virus could not be identified as the primary pathogen of SCTLD. As part of this project, the team also produced a standardized methodology for a specialized type of microscopy that will help ensure comparability for future research within the field.