Investigation of the transmission, infectivity and differential host specificity of a disease outbreak on the Florida Reefs

To determine the virulence of the disease in-situ, 20 M. cavernosa colonies with subacute tissue loss disease were mapped, tagged and photographed at site FtL5 (July 10, 2017). To help visualize tissue loss, bands of marine epoxy were placed on the dead part of the colonies, parallel and approximately 5 cm, from lesion edges. Colonies were relocated and photographed on approximately monthly intervals until Nov. 2017. Visual estimates on colony health (% of colony dead, diseased, and healthy) were recorded in-situ and from photo review.