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ETIOLOGY OF WHITE POX, A LETHAL DISEASE OF THE CARIBBEAN ELKHORN CORAL, ACROPORA PALMATA.
Citation:
Patterson, K. L., J. W. Porter, K. B. Ritchie, E. Mueller, E. C. Peters, D L. Santavy, G. W. Smith, AND S. W. Polson. ETIOLOGY OF WHITE POX, A LETHAL DISEASE OF THE CARIBBEAN ELKHORN CORAL, ACROPORA PALMATA. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 99(13):8725-8730, (2002).
Impact/Purpose:
As with several other coral diseases, the rate of tissue loss associated with white pox is greatest at the perimeter of the lesion, and lesion growth rate is greatest during periods of seasonally elevated temperature.
Description:
Populations of the shallow-water Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, are being decimated by white pox disease, with losses in the Florida Keys typically in excess of 70%. Tissue loss is rapid, averaging 2.5 cm2 day-1. A bacterium isolated from diseased A. palmata was shown to produce disease signs when inoculated onto healthy A. palmata. The bacterium was identified as Serratia marcescens based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and standard microbiological testing. In Florida, the spread of white pox fits the contagion model, with nearest neighbors most highly susceptible to infection. As with several other coral diseases, the rate of tissue loss associated with white pox is greatest at the perimeter of the lesion, and lesion growth rate is greatest during periods of seasonally elevated temperature.