Figure 5.

Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, colony affected with white pox disease. White pox signs are characterized by circular, oblong or pyriform lesions of tissue loss that are located randomly and coral colony wide and are multifocal to coalescing in distribution (Photo by James W. Porter). The bacterium Serratia marcescens (SEM inset) is a pathogen that causes white pox signs. Pathogen identification from white pox lesions diagnoses acroporid serratiosis. (Photo by Shawn Polson.)