Coral-killing army recruits human bugs

From Boston, at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.

Coral reefs around the globe are plagued by black-band disease. The telltale black or red mat of bacteria that infects and kills corals is the work of a multitude of pathogens (SN: 4/11/98, p. 229: http://new.sciencenews.org/sn_arc98/4_11_98/fob1.htm). Now, research on reefs off the Caribbean island of Curaao shows that the lethal legions enlist some bacteria that come from people.