Raymundo Laurie J H, Harvell C Drew, Reynolds Taylor L
Silliman University Marine Laboratory, Dumaguete City 6200, Philippines.
Dis Aquat Organ. 2003 Sep 24;56(2):95-104. doi: 10.3354/dao056095.
The results of an investigation of a new coral disease affecting Indo-Pacific reefs are presented. Porites ulcerative white spot disease (PUWS) is characterized by discrete, bleached, round foci, 3 to 5 mm in diameter, that may either regress or progress to full tissue-thickness ulcerations that coalesce, occasionally resulting in colony mortality. Monitoring of 25 diseased and 5 healthy reference colonies for 17 mo revealed that advanced stages of the disease were characterized by lesion coalescence, partial colony death (i.e. portions of the colony still alive; n = 17) and total colony death (n = 2). Field transmission experiments revealed that 95% of healthy colonies developed lesions within 5 wk after continual exposure to diseased branches, while 60% of the reference colonies remained healthy. The host range of PUWS includes branching and massive Porites spp., and prevalence per species was positively correlated with species density. On 10 reefs surveyed in the Central Philippines, 22 +/- 7% (mean +/- SE) of poritid colonies were infected, and the disease was present on 80% of the surveyed reefs. Poritids are dominant Indo-Pacific reef builders; a disease targeting this genus could cause major shifts in community structure over time. This report contributes to the limited knowledge of PUWS impacts in this region.
本文展示了一项针对影响印度 - 太平洋珊瑚礁的新型珊瑚疾病的调查结果。多孔螅溃疡性白斑病（PUWS）的特征是出现离散的、褪色的圆形病灶，直径为3至5毫米，这些病灶可能会消退，也可能发展为全组织厚度的溃疡并融合，偶尔会导致珊瑚群体死亡。对25个患病珊瑚群体和5个健康对照群体进行了为期17个月的监测，结果显示该疾病的晚期特征为病灶融合、部分群体死亡（即群体部分仍存活；n = 17）和整个群体死亡（n = 2）。野外传播实验表明，95%的健康群体在持续接触患病分支后5周内出现病灶，而60%的对照群体保持健康。PUWS的宿主范围包括分支状和块状的多孔螅属物种，每个物种的患病率与物种密度呈正相关。在菲律宾中部调查的10个珊瑚礁中，22 +/- 7%（平均值 +/- 标准误）的多孔螅群体受到感染，且在所调查的80%的珊瑚礁上都存在这种疾病。多孔螅是印度 - 太平洋地区占主导地位的珊瑚礁建造者；一种针对该属的疾病可能会随着时间的推移导致群落结构发生重大变化。本报告有助于增加对该地区PUWS影响的有限认识。
