NEW Publication: Amoxicillin Effects on Survival and Reinfection of SCTLD‑Affected Corals

January 6, 2026

Dr. Karen Neely

Survival and reinfection rates of SCTLD-affected corals treated in situ with amoxicillin

A fast‑spreading coral disease called stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) has been killing Caribbean corals at an unprecedented rate since 2014. From 2019-2024, Nova Southeastern University’s Disease Intervention Lab used a topical amoxicillin paste to treat over 5000 diseased corals at select sites in the Florida Keys. This treatment can be applied directly to active disease lesions on affected corals underwater and has been shown to halt the disease. Since 2019, tens of thousands of corals across the Caribbean have been treated successfully.

In this study, researchers fate-tracked thousands of treated corals in the Florida Keys for three years to find out how well this treatment works long‑term. They found that survivorship varied significantly by species and habitat, with obvious “winners” and “losers”. 

Key Findings

• 84% of amoxicillin treated corals were still alive after three years.

• 36% of treated corals stayed disease‑free for at least a year after treatment, and an additional 18% stayed disease‑free if new lesions that developed within 1-2 months were treated.

• Corals living closer to shore had higher survivorship than those living in offshore habitats.

• Boulder corals, such as Montastraea cavernosa and Orbicella faveolata had the highest survival while some brain corals, such as Diploria labyrinthiformis and Colpophyllia natans, were less likely to survive.

Why This Matters

These findings are important as we consider what future disease interventions should look like as SCTLD has shifted from being epidemic to endemic on Florida's Coral Reef. This study shows that disease intervention, specifically amoxicillin treatments, can be a highly effective tool for coral survival - however, species and habitat should be carefully considered to achieve the greatest impact!

Photo Credit: Karen Neely

Learn more about coral disease interventions below!

• Coral Disease Intervention Dashboard

This public-facing dashboard includes data on coral disease treatments across Florida's Coral Reef since 2018.

• The impact of stony coral tissue loss disease and amoxicillin treatments on coral gametogenesis

Neely K.L., Whitehead R.F., Dobler M.A. (2024). The effects of disease lesions and amoxicillin treatment on the physiology of SCTLD-affected corals. Frontiers in Marine Science 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1460163  

• The effects of disease lesions and amoxicillin treatment on the physiology of SCTLD-affected corals

Neely K.L., Whitehead R.F., Dobler M.A. (2024). The effects of disease lesions and amoxicillin treatment on the physiology of SCTLD-affected corals. Frontiers in Marine Science 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1445735