The Infectivity of White Spot Syndrome Virus to the Brooders of Penaeus monodon and Vertical Transmission of the Virus

The infectivity of white spot syndrome virus(WSSV) to the brooders of black tiger prawn, Penaeus monodon, was studied by means of injection of prawn virus extract The result indicated that WSSV infection was characterized by a wide range of target tissues originating from both the mesoderm and the ectoderm, rapid diseases onset and high mortality in brooder, just like as in immature To identify the vertical transmission route of WSSV, we conducted a combine study using currently available nucleic acid diagnostic tools, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization, and conventional histological observations using light (LM) and transmission electron (TEM) microscopy to examine the sites for virus multiplication. The tissue/organ samples detected included gills, stomach, abdominal muscle, ovary, midgut, hepatopancreas, pleopods, etc The most significant result was that both oocytes and mature egg cells were WSSV positive in the ovaris of brooders infected by WSSV This result represented that the vertical transmission of WSSV might exist in Penaeus monodon