Sea star wasting disease or starfish wasting syndrome is a disease of starfish and several other echinoderms that appears sporadically, causing mass mortality of those affected.[1] There are approximately 40 species of sea stars that have been affected by this disease. At least 20 of these species were on the Northwestern coast of Mexico to Alaska.[2] The disease seems to be associated with increased water temperatures in some locales,[3][4] but not others.[5][6] It starts with the emergence of lesions, followed by body fragmentation and death.[7] In 2014 it was suggested that the disease is associated with a single-stranded DNA virus now known as the sea star-associated densovirus (SSaDV). [8] However, this hypothesis was refuted by recent research in 2018 and 2020.[9][10][11] Sea star wasting disease is still not fully understood.[7][12]
^Dawsoni, Solaster. "Sea Star Species Affected by Wasting Syndrome." Pacificrockyintertidal.org Seastarwasting.org (n.d.): n. pag. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Web.