@article {512,
	title = {Sponge disease: a global threat?},
	journal = {Environmental Microbiology},
	volume = {9},
	year = {2007},
	abstract = {<p>Sponges are the most simple and primitive metazoans, yet they have  various biological and ecological properties that make them an  influential component of coral-reef ecosystems. Marine sponges provide  refuge for many small invertebrates and are critical to benthic-pelagic  coupling across a wide range of habitats. Reports of sponge disease have  increased dramatically in recent years with sponge populations  decimated throughout the Mediterranean and Caribbean. Reports also  suggest an increased prevalence of sponge disease in Papua New Guinea,  the Great Barrier Reef and in the reefs of Cozumel, Mexico. These  epidemics can have severe impacts on the survival of sponge populations,  the ecology of the reef and the fate of associated marine  invertebrates. Despite the ecological and commercial importance of  sponges, the understanding of sponge disease is limited. There has  generally been a failure to isolate and identify the causative agents of  sponge disease, with only one case confirming Koch{\textquoteright}s postulates and  identifying a novel Alphaproteobacteria strain as the primary pathogen.  Other potential disease agents include fungi, viruses, cyanobacteria and  bacterial strains within the Bacillus and Pseudomonas genera. There is  some evidence for correlations between sponge disease and environmental  factors such as climate change and urban/agricultural runoff. This  review summarizes the occurrence of sponge disease, describes the  syndromes identified thus far, explores potential linkages with  environmental change and proposes a strategy for future research towards  better management of sponge disease outbreaks.</p>},
	keywords = {benthos, biodiversit{\'e}, biodiversity, changement climatique, climate, climate change, coral reef, cyanobact{\'e}rie, cyanobacterium, disease, ecosystem, {\'e}cosyst{\`e}me, habitat, impact, injury, invertebrate, management, mass mortality, Mediterranean sea, Mer M{\'e}diterran{\'e}e, mortalit{\'e} massive, n{\'e}crose, pathogen, pathog{\`e}ne, r{\'e}cif coralien, research, sea water temperature, sponge, spongiaire, temperature, temp{\'e}rature de l{\textquoteright}eau de mer, threat},
	author = {N.S. Webster}
}
