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There has been a rise in coral diseases over the past two decades. A previous study identified a pathogen responsible for one of these diseases. In an effort to identify bacteria and fungal isolates present in African Dust samples, this project collected samples from several different regions: Mali, the origin of African dust in the Sahara; Trinidad, WI; St. John's and St. Croix, US Virgin Islands; and Hawaii. The majority of bacterial and fungal isolates cultured in the lab were from Mali. On average, fifteen bacterial isolates were obtained per sample from Mali. From the other three locations, an average of only two isolates per sample were obtained. The lack of isolates cultured from the recipient regions is evidence of variable distribution of a large percentage of loss during transport from the Sahara. All bacterial isolates were characterized based on their gram stain, morphology, and utilization of various carbon sources …