Scientists identify Vibrio pectenicida as the bacterium causing sea star wasting disease.
SEATTLE — More than 5 billion sea stars have been wiped out along the West Coast by a mysterious disease. For more than a decade, scientists didn’t know why — until now.
Researchers at the Hakai Institute have identified the culprit as a bacterium called Vibrio pectenicida, known as “V-peck” for short. It’s now believed to be responsible for the widespread outbreak of sea star wasting disease, which causes sea stars to twist, lose limbs, and eventually collapse.
“There was a disease outbreak that hit sea stars and caused them to sort
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