Probiotic treatment prevented coral bleaching during Red Sea heat wave, study says
Corals treated with beneficial bacteria isolated from healthy corals did not bleach during a 2022 heat wave in the Red Sea, according to scientists’ findings reported by Mongabay. The treated reef patch was located 15 kilometers off Saudi Arabia’s coast, while other corals in the area reacted differently to the heat.
A patch of corals in a Red Sea reef remained free of bleaching during a 2022 heat wave after scientists treated it with probiotics, according to findings reported by Mongabay. The reef was located 15 kilometers, or 9.3 miles, off the coast of Saudi Arabia.
The probiotics consisted of beneficial bacteria isolated from healthy corals. Scientists applied the treatments to the coral patch before or during the heat-wave conditions, according to the supplied report.
Mongabay reported that the treated corals reacted differently from other corals as the heat wave settled over the Red Sea. The report describes the probiotic treatment as preventing bleaching in the treated patch.
The supplied information does not state how many corals were treated, how long the effect lasted, whether untreated corals were used as a formal comparison group, or whether the approach has been tested beyond this reef. It also does not provide details about the scientists, the study’s publication, or plans for further research.
THE QUESTIONS THIS EVENT LEAVES BEHIND
What conditions determined which corals received the probiotic treatment?
How did the treated corals compare with untreated corals under the same heat-wave conditions?
Could applying bacteria from healthy corals affect other organisms in the reef?
What would determine whether this approach could be used across larger reef areas?
How long would the reported protection need to last to benefit coral-reef conservation?
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GLOBAL CURIOSITY MAP · SEPTEMBER 2026