A synthetic antibacterial peptide from Mytilus galloprovincialis reduces mortality due to white spot syndrome virus in palaemonid shrimp

• Published in: Journal of fish diseases Vol. 27; no. 1; pp. 57 - 64
• Main Authors: Dupuy, J-W, Bonami, J-R, Roch, Ph
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.01.2004
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - metabolism; antimicrobial peptides; Aquaculture; Bivalvia - chemistry; DNA Viruses - genetics; DNA Viruses - pathogenicity; Marine; Molecular Sequence Data; Mytilus; Mytilus galloprovincialis; Palaemon; Palaemonidae - virology; Penaeus monodon; Peptides - genetics; Peptides - metabolism; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Preincubation; shrimp; Temperature; viral protection; White spot syndrome virus
• ISSN: 0140-7775; 1365-2761
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2761.2003.00516.x

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) isolated from Penaeus monodon was found to be highly infective for the western Mediterranean shrimp, Palaemon sp. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), it was demonstrated that such shrimp are not naturally carriers of WSSV. Following challenge with virus, mortality reached 100% 3.5–4 days after injection at 22 °C. Incubation of infected shrimp at 10 °C totally suppressed the mortality which rapidly developed when shrimp were returned to 18 or 22 °C. Preincubation of WSSV with mature synthetic mytilin significantly reduced shrimp mortality with a 50% efficient dose of about 5 μm. Survival of shrimp was not due to the development of an active mechanism of defence as re‐injection of WSSV produced the same mortality pattern. Mortality was probably due to WSSV replication as dot blot failed to detect viral DNA in the injection sample but was positive 1 day post‐injection. Protection by mytilin was by interaction at the virus level, preventing replication as no WSSV nucleic acid was detected by PCR even after 7 days in shrimp injected with WSSV preincubated with 10 or 50 μm mytilin.