A decade-long epidemic that devastated sea stars along the Pacific coast has finally been solved, scientists say. In 2013, a mysterious wasting disease sparked a mass die-off of over 5 billion sea stars from Mexico to Alaska. The epidemic, which targeted more than 20 species, had a devastating impact on ecosystems.
Researchers at the Hakai Institute in British Columbia, Canada, have identified the cause of the disease as bacteria, specifically Vibrio pectenicida. The finding was published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution and marks a significant breakthrough after years of false leads and twists.
“It’s incredibly difficult to trace the source of so many environmental diseases, especially underwater,” said Blake Ushijima, a microbiologist at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. “The detective work by this team was really smart and significant.”
The new discovery offers hope for recovering sea star populations and restoring ecosystems. Healthy sea stars play a crucial role in controlling excess sea urchin populations, which can lead to an explosion in kelp forest growth. With fewer sea stars, these forests have shrunk significantly.
Researchers now plan to test which species are still healthy and consider relocating or breeding them in captivity to transplant them to areas where the sunflower sea star is missing. They also aim to explore natural immunity and potential treatments like probiotics to boost immunity to the disease.
The findings could have significant implications for entire Pacific ecosystems, providing a much-needed solution to this ongoing crisis.
Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/researchers-say-they-have-identified-the-mysterious-killer-of-more-than-5-billion-sea-stars