Group Group II (ssDNA) Family Parvoviridae Genus Ambidensovirus | Order Unassigned Subfamily Densovirinae Rank Species | |
Similar Ambidensovirus, Pisaster ochraceus, Pisaster, Sunflower seastar, Pycnopodia | ||
Sea star-associated densovirus (SSaDV) belongs to the Parvoviridae family. Like the other members of its family, it is a single-stranded DNA virus. Remarkably, most other known densoviruses infect members of the Arthropoda, but SSaDV is the first virus from this subfamily known to kill echinoderms. It causes Sea star wasting disease.
Contents
Epidemiology
SSaDV affects sea stars from southern Alaska to Baja California. It tends to occur in large outbreaks with high mortality, as it has in 1972, 1978, 2013, and 2014. See Sea star wasting disease. The virus was isolated from wasting Pycnopodia helianthoides, and detected in small quantities in healthy sea stars and aquarium sediments. The highest viral load was found in the body wall of the central disk.
Structure
The physical characteristics of SSaDV are similar to the other members of the genus Ambidensovirus. It is the only viral candidate to cause wasting in sea stars, and is predicted to be a non-enveloped icosahedral particle at ~25 nm.