Mass mortalities of marine sponges and their large and varied associated fauna occur regularly, but the etiology of sponge diseases is poorly understood. The authors investigated causes of bacterial infections and subsequent mortality of the marine crumb-of-bread sponge Halichondria panicea. Besides a relationship with temperature, a strong influence of water-flow rates on bacterial infections and sponge mortality was found. Reduced water-flow rate promoted bacterial growth on the sponge. The infecting bacteria were identified as Alcaligenes faecalis and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus subsp. anitratis.
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