New treatment offers an alternative to antibiotic treatment, reducing risk of resistant pathogenic bacteria Peer-Reviewed Publicationimage: A close-up of extended polyps of an apparently healthy great star coral colony (Montastraea cavernosa) on a reef near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. view more Credit: Valerie Paul National Museum of Natural History have discovered the first effective bacterial probiotic for treating and preventing stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD), a mysterious ailment that has devastated Florida’s coral reefs since 2014 and is rapidly spreading throughout the Caribbean.  “Between ocean acidification, coral bleaching, pollution and disease there are a lot of ways to kill coral,” Paul said