Vibrio coralliilyticus is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium.[1] It has a polar flagellum that is used for motility and has been shown to be critical for its virulence to corals.[2] It is a versatile pathogen, impacting several marine invertebrates including Pocillopora damicornis corals (hence its name), both the Pacific and Eastern Oyster's larvae (Crassostrea gigas and Crassostrea virginica)[3][4] and some vertebrates such as the rainbow trout.[5] It is a bacterium of considerable interest given its direct contribution to temperature dependent coral bleaching[6] as well as its impacts on aquaculture where it can contribute to significant mortalities in larval oyster hatcheries.[7] There are several known virulent strains, which appear on both the Pacific and Atlantic Coasts of the United States.[4] After its initial discovery some strains were incorrectly classified as Vibrio tubiashii including the RE22 and RE98 strains but were later reclassified as Vibrio coralliilyticus.[3][7]
^Pollock, F. Joseph; Wilson, Bryan; Johnson, Wesley R.; Morris, Pamela J.; Willis, Bette L.; Bourne, David G. (2010). "Phylogeny of the coral pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus". Environmental Microbiology Reports. 2 (1): 172–178. doi:10.1111/j.1758-2229.2009.00131.x. ISSN1758-2229. PMID23766013.