Sea star wasting disease (SSWD) refers to a suite of gross signs affecting Asteroidea species. These include epidermal lesions, everted viscera, arm autotomy, and ultimately, full body disintegration leading to mortality. The common sea star
The recent outbreak of Sea Star Wasting Disease (SSWD) is one of the largest marine epizootics in history, but the host-associated microbial community changes specific to disease progression have not been characterized. Here, we sampled the microbiomes of ochre sea stars,
- PAR ID:
- 10153244
- Publisher / Repository:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Scientific Reports
- Volume:
- 8
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2045-2322
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Asterias rubens is a keystone species in the coastal Northeast Atlantic and may be susceptible to the disease. While the precise aetiology of SSWD remains poorly understood, environmental instability, including rising sea temperatures, has been linked to SSWD outbreaks. To investigate this connection, an experiment was conducted to quantify disease sign expression inA. rubens under elevated temperature. We exposed sea stars to either elevated temperature (18°C) or a control treatment (12°C) for a 14 d period. We quantified the presence of disease signs associated with SSWD, the progression of signs, and survival of individuals. Elevated temperature induced a greater number of signs consistent with SSWD and also resulted in mortality for some of those animals. Furthermore, larger individuals were more likely to show increased signs of disease. Our results provide evidence that signs associated with SSWD increase with elevated temperature. -
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