Experimental host range and histopathology of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection in shrimp, prawns, crabs and lobsters from India

Abstract

Experimental studies were conducted by injecting or feeding white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) derived from infected shrimp, Penaeus monodon (Fabricius), collected from the south‐east coast of India, to five species of shrimp, two species of freshwater prawns, four species of crabs and three species of lobsters. All species examined were susceptible to the virus. Experimental infections in the shrimp had the same clinical symptoms and histopathological characteristics as in naturally infected P. monodon. A cumulative mortality of 100% was observed within 5–7 days in shrimp injected with WSSV and 7–9 days in shrimp fed with infected tissue. Two species of mud crab, Scylla sp., survived the infection for 30 days without any clinical symptoms. All three species of lobsters, Panulirus sp., and the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man), survived the infection for 70 days without clinical symptoms. However, bioassay and histology using healthy P. monodon revealed that crabs, prawns and lobsters may act as asymptomatic carriers/reservoir hosts of WSSV. This is the first report to suggest the carrier/reservoir capacity of these hosts through histological and bioassay evidences. Ultrastructural details of the virus in experimentally infected shrimp, P. vannamei, (Boone), were also studied.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection in tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon: A non-lethal histopathological rapid diagnostic method using paraffin and frozen sections

“…Evidence of histopathological manifestations in the target tissues is one of the criteria used in the diagnosis of WSSV infection (Lightner 1996;Wang et al 1997). During our investigation on the histopathology of the WSSV infection, we have noticed obvious histological changes characteristic of WSSV in the cuticular epidermis of eyestalk and pleopod (Rajendran et al , 1999, which is in agreement with the observation of Chang et al 1996 andLo et al 1997. Epithelial cells of the eyestalk and pleopod are the preferred tissues of WSSV, and the initial sites of viral infection (Chang et al 1996;Lo et al 1997).…”

“…Histopathological evidence has shown that this virus replicates in tissues of ectodermal and mesodermal origin only (Chou et al 1995;Lightner 1996;Karunasagar et al 1997;Mohan et al 1997;Rajendran et al 1999, Yoganandhan et al 2003Vijayan et al 2003). Evidence of histopathological manifestations in the target tissues is one of the criteria used in the diagnosis of WSSV infection (Lightner 1996;Wang et al 1997).…”

Pathological changes in Fenneropenaeus indicus experimentally infected with white spot virus and virus morphogenesis

“…Since its advent in 1992, WSV has greatly affected the shrimp farming industry (Mohan et al, 1997). This pathogen has tropism for organs of mesodermal and ectodermal origin (Wongteerasupaya et al,1995(Wongteerasupaya et al, , 1996Chang et al, 1996;Flegel et al, 1997;Rajendran et al, 1999;Wang et al, 1999;Vijayan et al, 2003;Yoganandhan et al, 2003). Evidence of histopathological manifestations in the target tissues is one of the criteria used in the diagnosis of WSV infection (Lightner, 1996;Wang et al, 1997).…”

Susceptibility of juvenile European lobster Homarus gammarus to shrimp products infected with high and low doses of white spot syndrome virus

“…Pathogenicity of WSSV has also been investigated in the spiny lobster species P. versicolor, P. penicillatus, P. ornatus, P. longipes, P. homarus and P. polyphagous (Chang et al 1998, Rajendran et al 1999, Musthaq et al 2006. Chang et al (1998) reported that lobsters fed WSSV-contaminated feed did not succumb (although WSSV was detected within their tissues), while Rajendran et al (1999) provided some evidence that WSSV infection via feeding and ingestion could result in mortalities of P. polyphagous and P. ornatus. However, in a follow-up study by Musthaq et al (2006), P. homarus and P. ornatus fed WSSV-contaminated feed did not die, while those that were injected with WSSV did.…”