Abstract
In the Caribbean, the fungus Aspergillus sydowii is currently causing an epizootic among sea fan corals (Gorgonia spp.). To elucidate potential factors that may have facilitated the emergence of this disease, we characterized and compared temperature requirements, susceptibility to coral crude extracts, and metabolic profiles of pathogenic (marine) and non-pathogenic (terrestrial) strains of A. sydowii Growth of all A. sydowii strains were observed at all temperatures tested (22–36°C) with an optimum of approximately 30°C. Sea fan crude extracts inhibited growth of A. sydowii but were less effective at higher temperatures. Thus, temperature is likely to have a strong influence on the dynamics of the Gorgonia-Aspergillus interaction by promoting the growth of the pathogen while reducing the efficacy of host resistance. Metabolically, marine A. sydowii strains pathogenic to sea fans were distinct from non-pathogenic terrestrial strains.
Key words
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Abrell, L. M., B. Borgeson and P. Crews, 1996. Chloro polyketides from the cultured fungus (Aspergillus) separated from a marine sponge. Tet. Let. 37: 2331–2333.
Antonius, A., 1981. The band’ diseases in coral reefs. Int. coral reef Symp. 2: 7–14.
Aronson, R. B. and W. E. Precht, 1997. Stasis, biological disturbance and community structure of a Holocene coral reef. Paleobiology 23: 326–346.
Arkoosh, M. R., E. Casillas, E. Clemons, A. N. Kagley, R. Olson, P. Reno and J. E. Stein, 1998. Effect of pollution on fish diseases: Potential impacts on salmonid populations. J. Aquat. Anim. Health 10: 182–190.
Belofsky, G., P. R. Jensen, M. K. Renner and W. Fenical, 1998.New cytotoxic sesquiterpenoid nitrobenzoyl esters from a marine strain of the fungus Aspergillus versicolor. Tetrahedron 54: 1715–1724.
Bochner, B. R., 1989. Sleuthing out bacterial identities. Nature 339: 157–158.
Brown, B. E., 1997. Coral bleaching: causes and consequences. Coral Reefs. 16: 5129–138.
Carlton, R. G. and L. L. Richardson, 1995. Oxygen and sulfide dynamics in a horizontally migrating cyanobacterial mat: black band disease of corals. FEMS microbiol. Ecol. 18: 155–162.
Clarke, R., 1996. Population shifts in two competing fish species on a degrading coral reef. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 137: 51–58.
Colwell, R. R., 1996. Global climate and infectious disease: the cholera paradigm. Science 274: 2025–2031.
Cuppers, H., S. Oomes and S. Brul, 1997. A model for the combined effects of temperature and salt concentration on the growth rate of food spoilage. Appl. envir. Microbiol. 63: 3764–3769.
Dixon, D. M. and T. J. Walsh, 1992. Human pathogenesis. In Bennett, J. and M. Klich (eds), Aspergillus: Biology and Industrial Applications. Butterworth-Heinemann, Boston: 249–267.
Espinel-Ingroff, A., M. Bartlett, R. Bowden. N. Chin, C. Cooper, A. Fothergill, M. McGinnis, P. Menezes, S. Messer, P. Nelson, F. Odds, L. Pasarell, J. Peter, M. Ofaller, J. Rex, M. Rinaldi, G. Shankland, T. Walsh and I. Weitzman, 1997. Multicenter evaluation of proposed standardized procedure for antifungal susceptibility testing of filamentous fungi. J. clin. Microbiol. Jan. 1997: 139–143.
Feingold, J. S., 1988. Ecological studies of a cyanobacterial infection of the Caribbean sea plume Pseudopterogorgia acerosa ( Coelenterata: Octocorallia). Int. coral reef Sym. 3: 157–162.
Ford, S. E., 1996. Range extension by the oyster parasite Perkinsus marinus into the northeastern United States: response to climate change ? J. shell. Res. 15: 45–56.
Geiser, D., J. Taylor, K. Ritchie and G. Smith, 1998. Cause of sea fan death in the West Indies. Nature 394: 137–138.
Gharelb, M. and M. Nour El Dein, 1990. Growth and enzyme activities of Aspergillus sydowii grown on alkali pretreated sawdust as influenced by some culture conditions. Egypt. J. Bot. 33: 191–200.
Gladfelter, W. B., 1982. White-band disease in Acropora palmata: implications for the structure and growth of shallow reefs. Bull. mar. Sci. 32: 639–643.
Goreau, T. J., J. Cervino, M. Goreau, R. Hayes, M. Hayes, L. Richardson, G. Smith, K. DeMeyer, I. Nagelkerken, J. GarzonFerrera, D. Gil, G. Garrison, E. H. Williams, L. BunkleyWilliams, G. Quirolo, K. Patterson, J. W. Porter, and K. Porter, 1998. Rapid spread of diseases in Caribbean coral reefs. Rev. biol. trop. 46 Suppl. 5: 157–171.
Grigg, R. W. and S. J. Dollar, 1990. Natural and anthropogenic disturbance on coral reefs. In Dubinsky, Z. (ed.), Coral Reefs. Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam: 439–452.
Harvell, C.D., K. Kim, J. M. Burkholder, R. R. Colwell, P. R. Epstein, D. J. Grimes, E. E. Hofmann, E. K. Lipp, A. D. M. E. Osterhaus, R. M. Overstreet, J. W. Porter, G. W. Smith, and G. R. Vasta, 1999. Emerging marine diseases-climate links and anthropogenic factors. Science 285: 1505–1510.
Holmquist, G. U., H. W. Walker and H. M. Stahr, 1983. Influence of temperature, pH, water activity and antifungal agents on growth of Aspergillus fiavus and A. parasiticus. J. food Sci. 8: 778–782.
Hughes, T. P., 1994. Catastrophes, phase shifts, and large-scale degradation of a Caribbean coral reef. Science 265: 1547–1551.
Kendrick, B., M. Risk, J. Michaelides and K. Bergman, 1982. Amphibious microborers: bioeroding fungi isolated from live corals. Bull. mar. Sci. 32: 862–867.
Kim, K., C. D. Harvell, R. D. Kim, G. W. Smith and S. M. Merkel, 2000. Fungal disease resistance of Caribbean sea fan corals (Gorgonia spp.). Mar. Biol. 136: 259–267.
Kushmaro, A., Y. Loya, M. Fine and E. Rosenberg, 1997. Bleaching of the coral Oculina patagonica by Vibrio AK-1. Mar. Ecol. Frog. Ser. 147: 159–165.
Kushmaro, A., Y. Loya, M. Fine and E. Rosenberg, 1996. Bacterial infection and coral bleaching. Nature 380: 396.
Kushmaro, A., E. Rosenberg, M. Fine, Y. Ben Haim and Y. Loya, 1998. Effect of temperature on bleaching of the coral Oculina patagonica by Vibrio AK-1. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 171: 131–137.
Kuta, K. G. and L. L. Richardson, 1996. Abundance and distribution of black band disease on corals reefs in the northern Florida Keys. Coral Reefs 15: 219–223.
Lessios, H. A., 1988. Mass mortality of Diadema antillaruni in the Caribbean: what have we learned’? Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 19: 371–393.
Lenihan, H., F. Micheli, S. Shelton and C. Peterson, 1999. The influence of multiple environmental stressors on susceptibility to parasites: an experimental determination with oysters. Limnol. Oceanogr. 44: 910–924.
Nagelkerken, I., K. Buchan, G. W. Smith, K. Bonair, R. Bush, J. Garzôn-Ferreira, L. Boltero, P. Gayle, C. Heberer, C. Petrovic, L. Pors and P. Yoshioka, 1996. Widespread disease in Caribbean sea fans: 1. Spreading and general characteristics. Int. coral reef Symp. 1: 679–682.
Nagelkerken, I., K. Buchan, G. W. Smith, K. Bonair, R. Bush, J. Garzôn-Ferreira, L. Botero, P. Gayle, C. D. Harvell, C. Heberer, K. Kim, C. Petrovic, L. Pors and R. Yoshioka, 1997. Widespread disease in Caribbean sea fans: II. Patterns of infection and tissue loss. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 160: 255–263.
Olutiola, P. O. and O. O. Cole, 1977. Some environmental and nutritional factors affecting growth and sporulation of Aspergillus svdowi. Physiol. Plant 39: 239–242.
Pastorok. R. and G. Bilyard, 1985. Effects of sewage pollution on coral-reef communities. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 21: 175–189.
Ponton, J., G. Quindos and R. Cisterna, 1991. Humoral responses of the host to fungi. In Arora, D. K., L. Ajello and K. Mukerji (eds), Handbook of Applied Mycology, Vol. 2. Humans, Animals and Insects. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, New York: 289–340.
Raghukumar, C. and S. Raghukumar, 1998. Barotolerance of fungi isolated from deep-sea sediments of the Indian Ocean. Aquat. microbiol. Ecol. 15: 153–163.
Richardson, L. L., 1998. Coral diseases: what is really known’? Trends Ecol. Evol. 13: 438–443.
Rinaldi, M. G., 1983. Invasive aspergillosis. Rev. infect. Dis. 5: 1061–1077.
Ross, P. S.. R. L. De Swart, H. Van Loveren, A. D. M. E. Osterhaus and J. G. Vost, 1996. The immunotoxicity of environmental con-taminants to marine wildlife: a review. Annu. Rev. fish Dis. 6:151
Roth, F. J., R. A. Orpurt and D. G. Ahearn, 1964. Occurrence and distribution of fungi in a subtropical marine environment. Can. J. Bot. 42: 375–383.
Rützler, K., D. L. Santavy and A. Antonius, 1983. The black band disease of Atlantic reef corals 3. Distribution ecology and development. Mar. Ecol. R. Z. N. I. 4: 329–358.
Smith, G. W., C. D. Harvell and K. Kim, 1998. Response of sea fans to infection with Aspergillus sp. (Fungi). Rev. biol. trop. 46 Supl. 5: 205–208.
Smith, G. W., L. D. Ives, I. A. Nagelkerken and K. B. Richie, 1996. Caribbean sea-fan mortalities. Nature 383: 487.
Smith, J. M. B., 1989. Aspergillosis. In Opportunistic Mycoses of Man and Other Animals. BPCC Wheatons Ltd, Exeter, Wallingford, U.K.: 81–114.
Sweeney, J. C., G. Migaki, P. M. Vainik and R. H. Conklin, 1976. Systemic mycoses in marine mammals. J. am. vet. med. assoc. 169: 946–948.
Thompson, J. N., 1998. Rapid evolution as an ecological process. Trends. Ecol. Evol. 13: 329–332.
Toren, A., L. Landau, A. Kushmaro, Y. Loya and E. Rosenberg, 1998. Effect of temperature on adhesion of Vibrio strain AK-1 to Oculina patagonica and on coral bleaching. Appl. envir. Microbiol. 64: 1379–1384.
Toske, S. G., R. R. Jensen, C. A. Kauffman and W. Fenical, 1998. Aspergillamides A and B: modified cytotoxic tripeptides produced by a marine fungus of the genus Aspergillus. Tetrahed. 54: 13459–13466.
Williams, E. H. and L. Bunkley-Williams, 1990. The world-wide coral reef bleaching cycle and related sources of coral mortality. Atoll res. Bull. 335: 1–63.
Wilkinson, C., O. Linden, H. Cesar, G. Hodgson, J. Rubens and A. E. Strong, 1999. Ecological and socioeconomic impacts of 1998 coral mortality in the Indian Ocean: An ENSO impact and a warning of future change? Ambio 28: 188–196
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Alker, A.P., Smith, G.W., Kim, K. (2001). Characterization of Aspergillus sydowii (Thom et Church), a fungal pathogen of Caribbean sea fan corals. In: Porter, J.W. (eds) The Ecology and Etiology of Newly Emerging Marine Diseases. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 159. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3284-0_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3284-0_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5930-7
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-3284-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive