Mystery Illness That "Melts" Starfish Identified
Since 2013, millions of sea stars from at least 20 species have been suffering devastating losses up and down the Pacific Coast between Alaska and Baja California -- and in a very gruesome way. It starts with inflammation and tissue ulcers and decay, and eventually their limbs pull away from their bodies, organs ooze through their skin, and they disintegrate and die. The extensive range and the number of species infected by this sea star wasting disease makes it one of the largest marine wildlife diseases ever, yet the cause is a mystery. Now, researchers may have pinpointed the deadly culprit: a densovirus that’s been festering at low levels since at least 1942. The findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week.
“There are 10 million viruses in a drop of seawater, so discovering the virus associated with a marine disease can be like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Cornell's Ian Hewson says in a statement. “Not only is this an important discovery of a virus involved in a mass mortality of marine invertebrates, but this is also the first virus described in a sea star.”
Hewson and colleagues studied healthy and infected sea stars during field surveys, and they also conducted laboratory infection studies where healthy sea stars were exposed to material from diseased sea stars -- which resulted in the onset of disease. A metagenomic analysis revealed that a previously unknown virus was the most prevalent contagious element contained in the material. They call it the sea star associated densovirus (SSaDV).
More at link
http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/virus-suspected-gruesome-sea-star-die-offs
= new reply since forum marked as read
aliens...ancient aliens to be precise. Maybe half a dozen or so.
Sid
Maybe we need to put them on the menu and eat them all
http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/news/featuredstories/may11/lionfish_derby/
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the Reef Environmental Education Foundation have teamed up for the second year in a row to coordinate Lionfish Derbies in the Florida Keys to enable mass removal of these invasive fish in a fun and competitive format.
"Anyone who appreciates the diversity of the Keys coral reef should be concerned about these invasive fish," said Sean Morton, sanctuary superintendent. "Divers have been actively engaged in lionfish removal in the Keys since 2009 and these tournaments are a way to reward them for their dedication to the reef."
The first derby of the Second Annual Florida Keys Lionfish Derby Series was held on May 14 in Long Key, Florida. Teams of divers successfully removed 531 invasive lionfish while competing for $3,350 in cash and prizes for the most, largest, and smallest lionfish collected.
"Fortunately for conservationists and resources managers, these fish also happen to taste great," said Lad Akins, special projects director for REEF. "Restaurants in the Keys have begun to serve local Keys lionfish and patrons can feel good that lionfish consumption benefits the environment."
