Occurrence of the eelgrass pathogen Labyrinthula zosterae in Japan

Abstract

The marine slime mold Labyrinthula zosterae, the causative agent of wasting disease of eelgrass Zostera marina, has been isolated from both 2. marina and 2. caulescens on the south coast of Japan. In addition, wasting-disease symptoms were produced in disease tests on leaves of Z. japonica and 2. marina using axenic cultures of L. zosterae isolated from Z. caulescens and Z. marina. Thus, the known host species of L. zosterae are expanded to include 3 species of Zostera. Although symptomatic necrotic lesions were observed in field-collected seagrass leaves, widespread die-off from wasting disease was not evident on the south coast of Japan.