White pox disease

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Not to be confused with
Alastrim
.
White pox disease on Elkhorn coral

White pox disease (also "acroporid serratiosis" and "patchy necrosis"), first noted in 1996 on

Florida keys, is a coral disease affecting Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) throughout the Caribbean. It causes irregular white patches or blotches on the coral that result from the loss of coral tissue. These patches distinguish white pox disease from white band disease
which produces a distinctive white band where the coral skeleton has been denuded. The blotches caused by this disease are also clearly differentiated from coral bleaching and scars caused by coral-eating snails.[1] It is very contagious, spreading to nearby coral.[2]

At the locations where white pox disease has been observed, it is estimated to have reduced the living tissue in elkhorn corals by 50–80%.[3] In the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), the losses of living coral are estimated to average around 88%.[1] Elkhorn coral was formerly the dominant shallow water reef-building coral throughout the Caribbean but now is listed as a threatened species, due in part to the disease.[4] Elkhorn coral is the first species of coral to be listed as threatened in the United States.[5]

Serratia marcescens

S. marcescens on an agar plate

The pathogen responsible is believed to be

microbe.[7]
Research is needed to find and confirm the exact source(s) of the pathogen, possible sources include sewage treatment plant effluent, marine fish feces and seabird guano.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Sutherland, Kathryn Patterson; Kim B. Ritchie. "White Pox Disease of the Caribbean Elkhorn Coral, Acropora palmata" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  2. ISBN 3-540-20772-4
    .
  3. ^ "Reef Relief - Coral Stress and Disease". www.reefrelief.org. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  4. ^ "Elkhorn Coral (Acropora palmata)—Office of Protected Resources—NOAA Fisheries". www.nmfs.noaa.gov. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  5. ^ Amendola, Kim (May 5, 2006). "Elkhorn and Staghorn corals listed in threatened status" (PDF). Press release. NOAA. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  6. PMID 12077296
    .
  7. ^ a b UGA News Bureau. "Common Bacteria Kills Elkhorn Coral off Florida Keys, says UGA Research Team". Press release. www.uga.edu. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
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