White plague type II may be caused by the gram negative bacterium Aurantimonas coralicida in the order Hyphomicrobiales but other bacteria have also been associated with diseased corals and viruses may also be implicated.
In 1977, a disease of scleractinian corals appeared on reefs off the Florida Keys in the United States and was termed white plague.
[4] A white-plague like disease reported from the Red Sea in 2005 has been shown to be caused by a different bacterial pathogen, Thalassomonas loyana.
[5] As first described by College of Charleston professor Philip Dustan in 1977, white plague type 1 produces lesions on any part of the colony.
Type II, first appearing in 1995 is similar, but it usually starts at the base of the colony, and the edge advances at a faster rate, up to 2 cm (0.8 in) per day.