Signs of Infection

Common signs of infected coral.

1. Discoloration – loss of normal coloration in part or the whole coral, including bleaching of tissue or darkening of the coral skeleton or green pigmentation on the coral skeleton.

Bleaching of Coral
Bleaching of Coral
Left: Normal Montipora. Right: Discolored Montipora infected with parasites.
Discolored Challice with tissue loss, infected with parasites.
RTN'd Acropora frags with dark stained skeletons
Coral Bleaching From Parasites
Bleached Favia infected with protozoan parasites.
Coral discolored at the base infected STN Parasites.
Left: abnormal coral with RTN parasite. Right: normal healthy coral
RTN'd Acropora frags with dark stained skeletons
RTN'd Acropora frags with dark stained skeletons

2. Closed Polyps – prolonged polyp retraction

3. Tissue Loss – brown jelly, STN, or RTN

Slow Tissue Necrosis Coral

4. Melting tissue – soft coral tissue melting.