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Human sewage identified as likely source of white pox disease of the threatened Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata
Author(s) -
Sutherland Kathryn Patterson,
Porter James W.,
Turner Jeffrey W.,
Thomas Brian J.,
Looney Erin E.,
Luna Trevor P.,
Meyers Meredith K.,
Futch J. Carrie,
Lipp Erin K.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2010.02152.x
Subject(s) - acropora , biology , threatened species , coral , serratia marcescens , reef , ecology , outbreak , coral reef , endangered species , zoology , habitat , virology , biochemistry , escherichia coli , gene
Summary Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata , has been decimated in recent years, resulting in the listing of this species as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act. A major contributing factor in the decline of this iconic species is white pox disease. In 2002, we identified the faecal enterobacterium, Serratia marcescens , as an etiological agent for white pox. During outbreaks in 2003 a unique strain of S. marcescens was identified in both human sewage and white pox lesions. This strain (PDR60) was also identified from corallivorious snails ( Coralliophila abbreviata ), reef water, and two non‐acroporid coral species, Siderastrea siderea and Solenastrea bournoni . Identification of PDR60 in sewage, diseased Acropora palmata and other reef invertebrates within a discrete time frame suggests a causal link between white pox and sewage contamination on reefs and supports the conclusion that humans are a likely source of this disease.