{
  "abstract": "Microbial therapies are emerging as promising tools for coral protection against heat stress, yet such application was not tested in situ. We tested two coral-derived probiotic consortia and their heat-killed counterparts (postbiotics) on bleaching Acropora cf. valida in the Red Sea during a marine heatwave. Over 15 days, both live and one of the heat-killed treatments maintained photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm), whereas placebo-treated corals exhibited significant thermal stress-induced decline. 16S rRNA gene sequencing profiling showed enrichment of putatively beneficial genera (e.g., Terasakiispira spp., Pseudoalteromonas spp.), and untargeted metabolomics resolved treatment-specific metabolic signatures that differed among consortia and between live and inactivated formulations. These molecular fingerprints suggest potential underlying protective mechanisms and host-microbiome interactions under heat stress. Together, our results position microbial therapies (probiotics and specific postbiotics) as field-validated interventions capable of minimizing impacts on corals during real-world thermal extremes and provide design cues for further development and deployment.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: erika.pecanhasantoro@kaust.edu.sa",
    "Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia",
    "Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, Brazil",
    "Division of Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: raquel.peixoto@kaust.edu.sa"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 14,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Érika P. Santoro",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4962-1356"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Inês Raimundo",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4589-527X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Laura Beenham",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2696-4361"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Neus Garcías-Bonet",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6469-7167"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Francisca C García"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Júnia Schultz",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8147-4659"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "João Cúrdia",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1495-7164"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chakkiath Paul Antony",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1462-7413"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Nathalia Delgadillo‐Ordoñez",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7940-3280"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Upendra Singh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Alexandre Soares Rosado",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5135-1394"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mariusz Jaremko"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Łukasz Jaremko",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7684-9359"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Raquel Silva Peixoto",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9536-3132"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7w7mc0ckg85ef.bib",
  "cited_by": 6,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117839",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "7w7mc0ckg85ef",
  "issns": [
    "2211-1247",
    "2639-1856"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117839",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2303|Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7207813619",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": "42692023",
  "published": "2026-09-01",
  "publisher": "Cell Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7w7mc0ckg85ef.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-04T13:21:18Z",
      "native_id": "W7207813619",
      "source": "openalex",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117839"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2303|Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Probiotic and postbiotic treatment improves coral health and promotes specific metabolic and microbiome changes in situ during a heatwave",
  "title_text": "Probiotic and postbiotic treatment improves coral health and promotes specific metabolic and microbiome changes in situ during a heatwave",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-05T13:21:11Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7w7mc0ckg85ef",
  "venue": "Cell Reports",
  "versions": []
}