Scientists say they have solved the mystery of what killed more than 5 billion sea stars

[phkrause]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists say they have at last solved the mystery of what killed more than 5 billion sea stars off the Pacific coast of North America in a decade-long epidemic.

https://apnews.com/article/sea-star-wasting-disease-epidemic-f2ab802ae8787618a5905c566d38e0c5?

[phkrause]

Starfish Syndrome Breakthrough

A study published yesterday identified Vibrio pectenicida bacteria as the cause of an ongoing and the largest-ever marine epidemic that has killed over 5 billion Pacific Ocean starfish over the past decade.    Sea star wasting syndrome, first seen in 2013 along North America’s Pacific coast, causes starfish to develop lesions, decay, and die. The disease has ravaged more than 20 species, wiping out over 90% of sunflower sea stars in under a decade. Their decline fueled a 10,000% rise in sea urchins along California's North Coast between 2014 and 2023. Roughly 96% of the region's kelp forest vanished during that period as unchecked sea urchin populations devoured kelp forests—key ecosystems that support biodiversity, capture carbon, and filter pollution.    Researchers exposed lab-raised sunflower sea stars to the disease under various conditions to confirm Vibrio pectenicida as the culprit. The team now aims to understand how the bacterium—which belongs to a genus that thrives in warming waters—triggers sea star wasting syndrome in hopes of preventing future outbreaks.