Overview

• A Nature Ecology & Evolution study definitively identifies Vibrio pectenicida as the pathogen behind a decade-long sea star wasting epidemic.
• Scientists detected the bacterium in coelomic fluid samples and confirmed its role with seven controlled exposure experiments and genetic sequencing.
• Since 2013, more than five billion sea stars across over 20 species have perished, with sunflower sea stars losing roughly 90% of their population.
• The collapse of sea star predators allowed sea urchin numbers to explode, resulting in about 95% loss of northern California kelp forests.
• Now that the bacterial culprit is known, teams are monitoring survivor health and planning trials of probiotics, immunizations, relocation and captive-breeding to restore populations.