White-Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) Introduction Into the Gulf of Mexico and Texas Freshwater Systems Through Imported, Frozen Bait-Shrimp
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DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS Vol. 71: 91–100, 2006 Published July 25 Dis Aquat Org White-spot syndrome virus (WSSV) introduction into the Gulf of Mexico and Texas freshwater systems through imported, frozen bait-shrimp K. W. Hasson1,*, Y. Fan1, T. Reisinger2, J. Venuti1, P. W. Varner1 1Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, 1 Sippel Road, College Station, Texas 77845, USA 2Texas Sea Grant/Cooperative Extension, 650 East Business Highway 77, San Benito, Texas 78586, USA ABSTRACT: We analysed 20 boxes of, frozen imported bait-shrimp (China: Parapenaeopsis sp. and Metapenaeopsis sp.) and 8 boxes of native, frozen bait-shrimp (Gulf of Mexico: Litopenaeus setiferus and Farfantepenaeus duorarum) by RT-PCR or PCR for Taura syndrome virus (TSV), yellowhead virus/gill-associated virus (YHV/GAV), white-spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and infectious hypoder- mal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV). All 28 boxes of shrimp were negative for TSV, YHV/GAV and IHHNV; 2 boxes of imported bait-shrimp were WSSV-positive by 3 different PCR assays. Intramuscular injection of replicate groups of SPF (specific pathogen-free) L. vannamei juveniles with 2 different tissue homogenates prepared from the 2 WSSV-positive bait boxes resulted in 100% mortality of the test shrimp within 48 to 72 h post-injection. No mortality occurred among injected negative control groups. Histological and in situ hybridization analyses of 20 moribund treatment-shrimp demonstrated severe WSSV infections in each sample. Oral exposure of SPF L. vannamei postlarvae, PL (PL 25 to 30 stage; ~0.02 g) to minced tissue prepared from the 2 WSSV- positive bait-lots did not induce infection, possibly because of an insufficient infectious dose and/or viral inactivation resulting from multiple freeze-thaw cycles of the bait-shrimp during PCR testing. Use of an electric drill and collection of drill-tailings (tissue from ~20 to 30 shrimp) from frozen blocks of shrimp was successfully employed as an alternate tissue-sampling method without thawing. Our findings indicate that imported WSSV-infected bait shrimp, originating from China, are being sold in Texas for the purpose of sport fishing and represent a potential threat to freshwater and marine crustacean fisheries, as well as to coastal US shrimp farms. KEY WORDS: White-spot syndrome virus · PCR · Histopathology · Bait-shrimp · Disease transmission · Biosecurity · Penaeid shrimp Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher INTRODUCTION original recognition in China and Japan during 1992 and 1993, resulting in an ongoing panzootic that has White-spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the most cost the global shrimp farming industry billions of dol- economically important penaeid viral disease to lars in losses (Huang et al. 1994, Flegel & Fegan 2002, impact global shrimp farms to date (Flegel & Fegan OIE 2003, Lightner 2004). Because of its economic 2002). An acute disease, WSSV infection often results importance and designation as an OIE (Office Interna- in 100% mortality among affected penaeid popula- tional des Epizooties) notifiable pathogen, a diverse tions within a 3 to 10 d period and the virus is known to array of WSSV diagnostic techniques have been devel- infect shrimp of virtually all size classes (Lightner 1996, oped including histopathology, conventional and real- Flegel & Fegan 2002). A member of the Nimaviridae time PCR, antibody based tests, in situ hybridization, (enveloped, ovoid, dsDNA virus), WSSV has spread and dot-blot assays (Lightner 1996, 2004, OIE 2003). from Asia throughout most of the Americas since its Histologically, WSSV induces the formation of large, *Email: [email protected] © Inter-Research 2006 · www.int-res.com 92 Dis Aquat Org 71: 91–100, 2006 variably staining intranuclear inclusion bodies within 2001), but of unknown country of origin (C. Browdy, multiple target tissues that are readily identifiable by pers. comm.). In the current study we report the find- light microscopy and are considered pathognomonic ings of a small disease-survey conducted on fresh- for this disease (Lightner 1996). frozen, indigenous GOM bait shrimp and fresh-frozen, The first recorded outbreak of WSSV in the western imported wild bait shrimp from China that are being hemisphere occurred among wild-caught Gulf of Mex- sold in Texas for sport fishing. Virus detection and ico (GOM) Litopenaeus setiferus shortly after they infectivity was determined using PCR, histopathology, were stocked in a South Texas shrimp farm in 1995 bioassays and in situ hybridization. (Lightner 1996). Between late 1995 through early 1997, multiple WSSV epizootics were documented among feeder crayfish populations (Orconectes punctimanus MATERIALS AND METHODS and Procambarus sp.) at the National Zoo in Washing- ton DC (Richman et al. 1997). Chang et al. (2001) Bait-shrimp. A total of 28 small rectangular boxes of demonstrated the presence of asymptomatic WSSV frozen bait shrimp (227 g each) were purchased from infections among wild Atlantic blue crabs Callinectes inland and coastal grocery and bait stores in Texas sapidus collected off the coasts of New York, New (Table 1). The bait samples were numbered consecu- Jersey and Texas during 1997. Subsequent WSSV tively at the time of purchase and, hereafter, are detection among indigenous GOM L. setiferus or referred to as bait box or box followed by a corre- Farafantepenaeus aztecus stocks occurred in 1997, sponding sample number. We purchased 22 bait boxes 2001 and 2004 (pers. comm. P. Ostrowski, T. Varner, from 2 different sources near College Station, Texas, CEI 2004a). WSSV has also been reported for wild which consisted of 4 boxes of native Litopenaeus shrimp stocks in the Atlantic off South Carolina and setiferus and 18 boxes of imported, wild-caught shrimp Georgia, and was responsible for severe losses of from China (as indicated by the product description farmed L. vannamei in South Carolina during 1997 label). Of the 18 boxes originating from China, 13 con- (Prior et al. 2001, Chapman et al. 2004). The most tained a Metapenaeopsis sp. and the remaining 5 con- recent outbreak of WSSV in the US occurred on an iso- tained a Parapenaeopsis sp. (Fig. 1). Identification of lated L. vannamei farm in Kauai, Hawaii, during 2004 the imported shrimp from China was based on mor- (CEI 2004a, Ostrowski 2004). Epizootics arising from a phological characteristics utilizing shrimp taxonomy second OIE notifiable viral pathogen, Taura Syndrome keys (Yu & Chan 1986, Dore & Frimodt 1987). We pur- virus (TSV), also occurred during the spring of 2004 in chased 6 additional boxes of shrimp on the south Texas 5 South Texas L. vannamei farms (CEI 2004b, coast. These consisted of 4 different brands of bait con- Ostrowski 2004). These recent outbreaks stimulated taining solely Farafantepenaeus duorarum and/or a our interest in the source(s) of these viruses and their mixture of F. duorarum and L. setiferus from the GOM mode of introduction into the US. and 2 boxes of the same brand of imported wild The movement of shrimp viral pathogens between Metapenaeopsis sp. from China that were originally countries has mainly been attributed to the interna- found and purchased near College Station (Table 1, tional sale of infected nauplii, postlarvae and brood- Fig. 1). The 28 boxes were maintained frozen until stock (JSA 1997, Lightner 2002). Imported bait-shrimp, delivered to the laboratory and were then stored at ship ballast-water, shrimp-farm effluent and shrimp –80°C until processed. packing-plant wastes have also been shown or impli- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Tissue prepara- cated as potential virus sources (JSA 1997, Flegel & tion: Individual boxes of shrimp were thawed 1 to 2 Fegan 2002, Lightner 2002). It has been known for times and 30 to 60 pieces of pleopods from 30 individ- almost a decade that imported, frozen commodity ual shrimp were removed using sterile scissors; shrimp are often infected with viruses such as WSSV, 30 pieces of pleopod tissue box–1 (~300 mg total) were TSV, IHHNV (Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoi- pooled for DNA extraction, and 30 pieces were simi- etic Necrosis virus) and YHV (Yellowhead virus) larly pooled for RNA extraction. Pooled tissue samples (Lightner et al. 1997, Nunan et al. 1998a, Durand et al. were prepared in this manner from the first 16 boxes 2000, Prior et al. 2001). During 2004, a disease survey analyzed. Multiple freeze – thaw cycles can inactivate by PCR of grocery-store shrimp in Hawaii found that some viruses (Parker & Martel 2002), jeopardizing the 73% were WSSV-positive and 82% were IHHNV- potential of demonstrating virus viability through positive (Ostrowski 2004). While imported frozen com- infectivity bioassays. To circumvent this possibility, a modity shrimp have been the focus of various studies, method was developed to sample frozen blocks of there has only been 1 report of virus-infected bait- shrimp without thawing them and was applied to the shrimp, whereby viable TSV was detected in imported last 12 boxes of imported bait shrimp from China that bait shrimp purchased in South Carolina (Prior et al. were purchased for this study. Briefly, an electric, vari- Hasson et al.: WSSV in imported, frozen bait-shrimp 93 Table 1. Source, origin, identification and PCR results of frozen bait-shrimp samples purchased in Texas and analyzed for presence of WSSV, IHHNV, TSV and YHV/GAV. +: PCR-positive; –: PCR-negative Box Source Origin Shrimp PCR/RT-PCR results No. WSSV IHHNV TSV YHV/GAV Nested Single 1 Hearne, TX China Parapenaeopsis