Identifying the bacteria responsible for sea star wasting disease in the sunflower sea star скачать в хорошем качестве

Identifying the bacteria responsible for sea star wasting disease in the sunflower sea star

Presenter: Melanie Prentice, Research Scientist, Hakai Institute Sponsors: NOAA 'Omics and NOAA Library Abstract: Beginning in 2013, a prolific epidemic of sea star wasting disease (SSWD) swept the Pacific Coast of North America. Today, outbreaks of SSWD in this region continue. Across the two dozen asteroid species suspected to be afflicted by SSWD, the sunflower sea star has experienced the greatest losses, more than 90% of the global population of P. helianthoides has been lost in the last decade. The rapid disappearance of P. helianthoides further contributed to a trophic cascade involving unchecked population growth of their sea urchin prey which then overgrazed kelp forests. Key to the recovery of P. helianthoides and the kelp forest ecosystems, is the identification of the causative agent for SSWD. In this talk we present data leveraged from controlled challenge experiments and natural field outbreaks of SSWD in P. helianthoides to identify Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 as a causative agent of this disease. Keywords: Sea star wasting disease, sunflower sea star, pathogen identification