Scientists Isolate Virus Killing Off West Coast's Sea Star Population

ITHACA, NY (AP)_ Scientists say they've isolated a virus they believe is causing sea stars to die on the west coast.

The study - published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - says a variety of densovirus is most likely behind the sea star wasting syndrome.

Cornell University marine microbiologist Ian Hewson said tests showed increasing amounts of the virus in sea stars as the disease progressed. And injecting material from sick sea stars that was filtered to include virus-sized organisms caused healthy sea stars to get the disease.

The scientists don't yet know what caused the outbreak of the virus, which has been in the marine environment at least since 1942.

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