Reef corals are under threat from bleaching and disease outbreaks that target both the host animal and the algal symbionts within the coral holobiont. A viral origin for coral bleaching has been hypothesized, but direct evidence has remained elusive. Using a multifaceted approach incorporating flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy, DNA and RNA virome sequencing, we show that type C1 Symbiodinium cultures host a nucleocytoplasmic large double-stranded DNA virus (NCLDV) related to Phycodnaviridae and Mimiviridae, a novel filamentous virus of unknown phylogenetic affiliation, and a single-stranded RNA virus related to retroviruses. We discuss implications of these findings for laboratory-based experiments using Symbiodinium cultures.
CITATION STYLE
Weynberg, K. D., Neave, M., Clode, P. L., Voolstra, C. R., Brownlee, C., Laffy, P., … van Oppen, M. J. H. (2017). Prevalent and persistent viral infection in cultures of the coral algal endosymbiont Symbiodinium. Coral Reefs, 36(3), 773–784. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1568-7
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