http://isurus.mote.org/Keys/microbiology/chapter16_patterson-sutherland_ritchie.pdf

Coral Health and Disease, Chapter 16, 2004 by Katherine P. Sutherland and Kim B. Ritchie

White pox disease was first observed in the Lower Florida Keys by Craig Quirolo as part of his ongoing Coral Survey. He documented the emerging and fast acting disease on Elkhorn  corals and alerted Dr. James Porter, who responded with a team to investigate that included  Katy Sutherland and others.   They have both studied it extensively and discovered that white pox disease is caused by a common bacteria found in sewage.     This underscores the importance of clean, clear, nutrient-free  water quality conditions at coral reefs.