Scuba Geek

Divers carry pathogens in their wetsuits carrying coral disease May 30, 2006

Posted by Andy Carroll in : Conservation , trackback

I saw this article at nature.com, which states that around 60% of the world’s corals are thought to be under threat from warming seas, overfishing, pollution and coral diseases. Researchers have wondered whether ocean-hopping divers are playing a part by shipping disease-causing bacteria from an infected spot to a pristine one.

Apparently, if a diver picks up a pathogen from diseased coral, then they can pass it from one reef to the next, as the bugs stick to wetsuits like glue.

Dives can help prevent these diseases spreading by rinsing their wetsuit with a soapy solution;

The good news is that the researchers found simple disinfection — as is done by some diving equipment rental shops — did kill the stubborn bacteria. A 5% solution of bleach wiped out almost all of them, as did a 7% solution of the household cleaner Lysol. The researchers presented their results at the meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in Orlando, Florida.