by Weiquan Wang, Kaihao Tang, Xiaoxue Wang
The bacterial pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus induces severe coral diseases in warming oceans. A study in PLOS Biology reveals that high temperatures activate 2 type VI secretion systems in V. coralliilyticus, enhancing pathogenicity by deploying toxic effectors against competing bacteria and coral cells. The bacterial pathogen Vibrio coralliilyticus induces severe coral diseases in warming oceans. This Primer explores a PLOS Biology study revealing that high temperatures activate two type VI secretion systems in V. coralliilyticus, enhancing pathogenicity by deploying toxic effectors against competing bacteria and coral cells.