Scientists Finally Discovered The Illness Decimating Sea Stars For Years

Since 2013, a sea star wasting disease epidemic that swept along the Pacific Coast of North America has caused billions of sea stars to twist, disintegrate, and die. [1] One of the world’s largest sea stars, sunflower sea stars, saw a 90% population decrease in population. Sea urchins, a thorny prey of sea stars, overran and killed off kelp forests.

There is also evidence showing that warmer temperatures lead to bigger outbreaks. [2] In British Columbia, for example, severe outbreaks only happen frequently in late summer.

To figure out what the disease was, scientists checked the DNA of eight healthy stars against eight infected stars. [2] Melanie Prentice, a research scientist who now works at the Hakai Institute, found that there was a lot of Vibrio in the infected samples. When toggling data samples, she found that V. pectenicida was the perpetrator.

Scientists are now working on rapid diagnostic kits like the ones used for COVID-19. [3] This would allow scientists to diagnose V. pectenicida rapidly. They are also raising sea stars in captivity in order to breed them with antibiotics to protect them from bacteria.

In conclusion, the disease that caused the sea star wasting disease epidemic along the Pacific Coast of North America has finally been found to be V. pectenicida. Rapid kits and antibiotics are key to saving them.

Sources:

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/science/sea-stars-disease-vibrio-pectenicida.html

2. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vibrio-pectenicida-identified-as-cause-of-sea-star-wasting-disease-affecting/

3. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/sea-star-wasting-mystery-solved-melting