Possible effect of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection on reproduction associated genes in the Indian white shrimp, Fenneropenaeus indicus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837)

An experiment was conducted to explore the pathogenic effect of WSSV infection in reproduction of the Indian white shrimp, Fenneropenaeus indicus by investigating the time-course expression of female reproduction gene, namely vitellogenin (Vg) and thrombospondin (TSP), following WSSV challenge. Increased levels of expression for both Vg and TSP was observed in the infected group at 30 h post-infection followed by a decrease in the levels at 60 h post infection compared to the controls. The results indicate that both Vg and TSP might play a role in the immune functions of shrimp in addition to their well known roles in reproduction in penaeid shrimps.