Vibrio coralliilyticus strain OCN008 is an etiological agent of acute Montipora white syndrome.

ABSTRACT: Identification of a pathogen is a critical first step in the epidemiology and subsequent management of a disease. A limited number of pathogens have been identified for diseases contributing to the global decline of coral populations. Here we describe Vibrio coralliilyticus strain OCN008, which induces acute Montipora white syndrome (aMWS), a tissue loss disease responsible for substantial mortality of the coral Montipora capitata in Kāne'ohe Bay, Hawai'i. OCN008 was grown in pure culture, recreated signs of disease in experimentally infected corals, and could be recovered after infection. In addition, strains similar to OCN008 were isolated from diseased coral from the field but not from healthy M. capitata. OCN008 repeatedly induced the loss of healthy M. capitata tissue from fragments u

SUBMITTER: Ushijima B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3993142 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature