This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Witteveldt, J. Articles by van Hulten, M. C. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Witteveldt, J. Articles by van Hulten, M. C. W.

Protection of Penaeus monodon against White Spot Syndrome Virus by Oral Vaccination

Jeroen Witteveldt, Carolina C. Cifuentes, Just M. Vlak,^* and Mariëlle C. W. van Hulten

Laboratory of Virology, Wageningen University, 6709 PD Wageningen, The Netherlands

Received 4 August 2003/ Accepted 27 October 2003

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) occurs worldwide and causes high mortality and considerable economic damage to the shrimp farming industry. No adequate treatments against this virus are available. It is generally accepted that invertebrates such as shrimp do not have an adaptive immune response system such as that present in vertebrates. As it has been demonstrated that shrimp surviving a WSSV infection have higher survival rates upon subsequent rechallenge, we investigated the potential of oral vaccination of shrimp with subunit vaccines consisting of WSSV virion envelope proteins. Penaeus monodon shrimp were fed food pellets coated with inactivated bacteria overexpressing two WSSV envelope proteins, VP19 and VP28. Vaccination with VP28 showed a significant lower cumulative mortality compared to vaccination with bacteria expressing the empty vectors after challenge via immersion (relative survival, 61%), while vaccination with VP19 provided no protection. To determine the onset and duration of protection, challenges were subsequently performed 3, 7, and 21 days after vaccination. A significantly higher survival was observed both 3 and 7 days postvaccination (relative survival, 64% and 77%, respectively), but the protection was reduced 21 days after the vaccination (relative survival, 29%). This suggests that contrary to current assumptions that invertebrates do not have a true adaptive immune system, a specific immune response and protection can be induced in P. monodon. These experiments open up new ways to benefit the WSSV-hampered shrimp farming industry.

Present address: CSIRO Livestock Industries, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4067, Australia.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Tang, X., Wu, J., Sivaraman, J., Hew, C. L. (2007). Crystal Structures of Major Envelope Proteins VP26 and VP28 from White Spot Syndrome Virus Shed Light on Their Evolutionary Relationship. J. Virol. 81: 6709-6717 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Robalino, J., Bartlett, T., Shepard, E., Prior, S., Jaramillo, G., Scura, E., Chapman, R. W., Gross, P. S., Browdy, C. L., Warr, G. W. (2005). Double-Stranded RNA Induces Sequence-Specific Antiviral Silencing in Addition to Nonspecific Immunity in a Marine Shrimp: Convergence of RNA Interference and Innate Immunity in the Invertebrate Antiviral Response?. J. Virol. 79: 13561-13571 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wang, Z., Chua, H. K., Gusti, A. A. R. A., He, F., Fenner, B., Manopo, I., Wang, H., Kwang, J. (2005). RING-H2 Protein WSSV249 from White Spot Syndrome Virus Sequesters a Shrimp Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzyme, PvUbc, for Viral Pathogenesis. J. Virol. 79: 8764-8772 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Robalino, J., Browdy, C. L., Prior, S., Metz, A., Parnell, P., Gross, P., Warr, G. (2004). Induction of Antiviral Immunity by Double-Stranded RNA in a Marine Invertebrate. J. Virol. 78: 10442-10448 [Abstract] [Full Text]