Researchers at San Diego State University have used the 454 Life Sciences genome sequencer system to sequence Porites compressa coral samples.
The purpose of the study, led by Dr Forest Rohwer, was to replicate current ecological changes in tropical reef habitats such as reduced pH, elevated nutrients and increased temperatures to determine their effects on viral populations within the coral.
The experiments found high levels of a herpes-like virus in environmentally stressed Porites compressa corals.
The viral sequences were rarely detected in unstressed, healthy samples.
The depth of coverage and absence of cloning steps make 454 sequencing highly suitable for unbiased metagenomic surveys of highly diverse samples.
In this study, the genome sequencer system identified over 15,000 coral-associated viral sequences, and among those, herpes viruses were the most common.
