碳酸盐碱度胁迫下凡纳滨对虾基因的差异表达

以广盐性养殖的凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)为研究对象,采用抑制消减杂交(suppression subtractive hybridization,SSH)和定量PCR的方法,研究其在高碳酸盐碱度胁迫下转录组水平的基因表达差异,以期从基因组水平研究对虾对高碳酸盐碱度胁迫的适应机制。结果表明,以高碳酸盐碱度(20 mmol/L)胁迫第4天凡纳滨对虾鳃组织和低碱度(2 mmol/L)对照组鳃组织为材料,通过斑点杂交筛选,发现鳃组织中有158个克隆子表达上调,291个克隆子表达下调。挑选150个高表达差异的克隆子进行测序,获得100个序列,其中50个得到成功注释。经过GO分析,这些注释的差异基因主要分为8大类群,其中碳酸酐酶基因(CA)、Na+-K+-ATPase基因(NKA-α)等与离子调控相关的基因表达量上调,而溶菌酶基因等与先天免疫相关的基因表达量下调,这些结果表明高碳酸盐碱度胁迫下,凡纳滨对虾以增加离子调控的方式进行酸碱平衡的调控,同时其免疫功能受到抑制。此外,还对CA和NKA-α两个基因在鳃和触角腺中的时空表达规律进行了研究,发现高碳酸盐碱度胁迫9 d过程中,两个基因在鳃组织中的表达均呈现先高表达后回落的现象,而在触角腺中NKA-α基因则一直维持较高表达水平,说明CA和NKA-α基因在凡纳滨对虾高碳酸盐碱度适应离子调控中起着关键作用,同时还发现除了鳃组织之外,触角腺同样参与了调控。本研究从转录水平初步筛选了高碳酸盐碱度胁迫下凡纳滨对虾的表达差异基因,探索了凡纳滨对虾的耐盐碱机制,对培育适于盐碱地水产养殖的优良品种有着重要的意义。     

Cloning,characterization,and expression of themacrophage migration inhibitory factor gene from the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei(Penaeidae)

The macrophage migration inhibitory factor(MIF)is an important proinflammatory cytokine that mediates both innate and adaptive immune responses.In this study,we identified a homolog of MIF in the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.The MIF cDNA contained a 363-bp open reading frame encoding a 120-amino acid protein with a calculated molecular mass of 13.442 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 6.57.The L.vannamei MIF shared high amino acid identity with MIFs of other invertebrates.Tissue distribution analysis by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)revealed that the L.vannamei MIF was abundantly expressed in the blood,heart,and hepatopancreas,was moderately expressed in the gill,and was weakly expressed in the muscle and intestine.Furthermore,in order to gain a basic understanding of the role of MIF in the shrimp immune response against viral infection,its mRNA expression was determined in the hepatopancreasofL.vannameiatdifferentstagesafter whitespotsyndromevirus(WSSV)challenge usingqRT-PCR.The result indicated that the expression of MIF was significantly upregulated after WSSV injection,suggestingthatMIFmaybeinvolved in theresponsetoviralinfection in shrimp.     

Recent insights into host–pathogen interaction in white spot syndrome virus infected penaeid shrimp

Viral disease outbreaks are a major concern impeding the development of the shrimp aquaculture industry. The viral disease due to white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) observed in early 1990s still continues unabated affecting the shrimp farms and cause huge economic loss to the shrimp aquaculture industry. In the absence of effective therapeutics to control WSSV, it is important to understand viral pathogenesis and shrimp response to WSSV at the molecular level. Identification and molecular characterization of WSSV proteins and receptors may facilitate in designing and development of novel therapeutics and antiviral drugs that may inhibit viral replication. Investigations into host–pathogen interactions might give new insights to viral infectivity, tissue tropism and defence mechanism elicited in response to WSSV infection. However, due to the limited information on WSSV gene function and host immune response, the signalling pathways which are associated in shrimp pathogen interaction have also not been elucidated completely. In the present review, the focus is on those shrimp proteins and receptors that are potentially involved in virus infection or in the defence mechanism against WSSV. In addition, the major signalling pathways involved in the innate immune response and the role of apoptosis in host–pathogen interaction is discussed.     

Differential expression of proteins in the gills of Litopenaeus vannamei infected with white spot syndrome virus

Determination of differentially expressed protein profile is necessary to understand the host response to viral infection. Proteomics can be applied as a tool to examine white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei molecular responses against white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection, thus enabling development of effective strategies to reduce their impact on farms. In the present study, specific pathogen-free shrimp was tested against WSSV infection under several time intervals. Shrimps were submitted to a viral load of with 5.5 × 10⁶ viral copies in 100 μL/shrimp. The monitoring of infection was performed in intervals of 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after infection. The analysis was realized using 2-DE, and differentially expressed proteins were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS) peptide mass fingerprint (PMF). Between the differentially expressed proteins found in the infected animals, the most important were identified as caspase-2, ubiquitin and F1-ATP synthase. They are interesting candidates for biomarkers because could be related to the beginning of apoptosis process. The differentially expressed protein profile creates a new paradigm in the analysis of L. vannamei shrimp molecular response to WSSV infection and in virus–host relationship. Furthermore, it proposes potential biomarkers that allow strategies both selecting less susceptible individuals and reducing the impact of viruses on farms.     

凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei) F0-ATP合酶b链全长cDNA的克隆及组织分布

采用RACE方法克隆得到了凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)的F0-ATP合酶b链基因的全长cDNA序列。生物信息学分析显示,该基因开放阅读框744 bp,编码248个氨基酸,分子量为28.2 kDa。Blast比对结果显示,克隆得到的cDNA序列所编码的氨基酸序列与海虱(Caligus clemensi) F0-ATP合酶β亚基的同源性为50%,与黑腹果蝇(Drosophila melanogaster) F0-ATP合酶β亚基的同源性为60%。免疫组化实验及流式细胞分析表明,F0-ATP合酶b链广泛分布于对虾鳃组织中,并且在对虾血细胞表面有分布。     

凡纳滨对虾氨氮急性胁迫应激敏感群体和耐受群体对WSSV敏感性的差异分析

凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)是世界范围内举足轻重的水产养殖品种,在普遍的高密度养殖活动及环境恶化的情况下,逆境胁迫是影响其养成率的主要因素之一,其中,高浓度氨氮胁迫是最普遍的毒理因子。由于对虾抗病性状的遗传力较低,且在受限于测试场地的低选择强度情况下,抗病选育的进展比较缓慢。而对虾的抗逆性具有较高的遗传力,且不具备传染性的特点使得其不受测试场地的限制。因此,本研究以氨氮急性胁迫应激敏感群体(SP)和耐受群体(TP)为实验材料,对其进行白斑综合征病毒(WSSV)敏感性差异分析,首次探索了通过提高对虾对逆境急性胁迫应激的耐受性,从而间接提高其抗病力的可能性。本研究每个群体设3个处理:高浓度氨氮胁迫下(10 mg/L)WSSV感染组,两群体分别命名为SPAV和TPAV;正常海水条件下(氨氮水平小于0.01 mg/L)WSSV感染组,分别命名为SPV和TPV;正常海水条件无WSSV感染组(空白对照组),分别命名为SPC和TPC。结果显示,SP群体(5 h)在WSSV感染后开始死亡的时间显著早于TP群体(16 h);从感染60 h后,SPAV组的死亡率呈直线上升趋势,到137 h时该组全部死亡,其累积死亡率显著高于SPV(70.42%)和TP群体的2个组TPAV(42.67%)和TPV(18.99%)(P0.05)。在144 h实验结束时,SPV的累积死亡率为73.67%,显著高于TP群体的2个组TPAV(46.15%)和TPV(18.99%)以及SP群体的对照组SPC(34.79%);此时,TPAV组的累积死亡率显著高于TPV和TPC组(P0.05),而TPV与TPC组间无显著差异。研究表明,逆境毒理因子(氨氮胁迫)会增加对虾对病原的敏感性,而且对氨氮急性胁迫应激耐受力高的群体对病毒的抵抗力也高。本研究为探索提高对虾抗病力而降低养殖过程中的死亡率提供了新的思路和途径。     

对虾白斑综合征病毒（WSSV）囊膜蛋白VP110部分重组表达及其与对虾鳃细胞膜蛋白结合分析

将VP110基因的部分序列克隆到pET-28a载体中构建pET28a-vp110b重组质粒并进行原核表达,获得重组表达的蛋白rVP110-B;用rVP110-B注射凡纳滨对虾Litopenaeus vannamei后,经WSSV感染,实验表明,该蛋白注射使凡纳滨对虾感染WSSV的半数死亡时间比对照组延长了20%。用表达纯化的该重组蛋白制备了兔抗rVP110-B多克隆抗体,该抗体用于凡纳滨对虾鳃细胞膜蛋白与rVP110-B的Far-western分析显示,凡纳滨对虾鳃细胞膜蛋白中除90 kDa左右的血蓝蛋白外,在41.7 kDa存在结合条带,经质谱分析表明这条鳃细胞膜蛋白是肌动蛋白。     

A single-step multiplex PCR for simultaneous detection of white spot syndrome virus and infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus in penaeid shrimp

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) and infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) are the major viral pathogens of penaeid shrimp worldwide (Lightner & Redman 1998). Litopenaeus vannamei was introduced into China from the Americas, and quickly became widely cultured. Following its introduction, both IHHNV and WSSV have become important pathogens of cultured penaeid shrimp and have had a huge impact on the culture industry in China in recent years.     

桡足类浮游动物细胞膜与白斑综合症病毒的结合研究

通过差速离心法提取桡足类组织细胞膜，依照本实验室确立的细胞膜与WSSV特异性的结合关系，进行了桡足类细胞膜与白斑综合症病毒(WSSV)结合实验。结果表明，桡足类细胞膜与WSSV之间存在着特异性的结合，二者的结合说明了桡足类细胞膜上存在有WSSV的受体蛋白，其为确定桡足类属于WSSV感染宿主提供了重要证据。同时，比较了凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)鳃细胞膜对桡足类细胞膜与WSSV结合的影响作用，证实了凡纳滨对虾鳃细胞膜对二者的结合具有明显的封闭作用，侧面说明了WSSV在二者细胞膜上存在有相同的受体蛋白或结合位点。桡足类细胞膜经表面活性剂Triton x-100处理后，与WSSV的结合活性没有受到影响，而经Tween-20处理能显著提高与WSSV的结合活性，提示受体蛋白在细胞膜上可能占有一段较小的跨膜区域。经SDS-PAGE分析确定了桡足类细胞膜由分子量为18～207kD范围的约33条蛋白条带组成。     

凡纳滨对虾ARMC8基因的克隆及表达

为了研究含Armadillo重复蛋白8在凡纳滨对虾抗病感染过程中所起的免疫作用,本实验采用RACE-PCR技术首次克隆得到凡纳滨对虾ARMC8基因(LvARMC8,Gen Bank注册号:KX058562)的c DNA序列全长,并利用在线软件进行生物信息学分析;采用实时荧光定量PCR(Rt-PCR)技术对LvARMC8基因在凡纳滨对虾不同组织及感染白斑综合征病毒和副溶血弧菌过程中的表达变化特征进行分析。结果显示,LvARMC8基因全长为2917bp,其中开放阅读框长2046 bp,编码681个氨基酸,5′非编码区长49 bp,3′非编码区长822 bp。预测分析显示LvARMC8编码的蛋白质含有6个ARM结构域。同源性分析发现,LvARMC8基因与内华达古白蚁ARMC8基因的相似度最高,为71%。系统进化分析结果显示,LvARMC8和多种无脊椎动物ARMC8聚为一支,其中与昆虫类动物赤拟谷盗、致倦库蚊和柑橘凤蝶的亲缘关系最近。Rt-PCR分析发现,LvARMC8基因在凡纳滨对虾多个组织中均能检测出,在表皮中表达量最高,眼柄中表达量最低。WSSV感染后12 h,LvARMC8基因在凡纳滨对虾血液中的表达量显著降低,但48 h后显著升高,72 h达到最高水平。除副溶血弧菌感染后24 h外的时间点,LvARMC8基因在凡纳滨对虾血液中的表达量均显著升高。研究表明,LvARMC8基因可能参与凡纳滨对虾抗病免疫应答途径。     

凡纳滨对虾卵巢类围食膜蛋白基因克隆及其在早期胚胎发育中的表达

围食膜蛋白最早是从昆虫围食膜中解离得到的,在保护昆虫免受外源微生物侵染过程中发挥了重要作用。为了解围食膜蛋白在对虾免疫过程中的作用,实验前期进行了凡纳滨对虾转录组分析,并克隆获得了凡纳滨对虾2条类围食膜蛋白基因LvPT1和LvPT2,其编码的2条氨基酸序列相似性极高,同已报道的其他虾类围食膜蛋白具有较高同源性。利用Real-time PCR方法进行组织表达分析发现,LvPT1和LvPT2与对虾卵巢围食膜蛋白(SOPs)类似,在卵巢中高度表达,利用半定量PCR方法,分析LvPT2在对虾早期发育中的表达情况。结果显示,LvPT2在受精卵时期表达量最高,随着发育进行,表达量逐渐降低,至无节幼体孵出后无明显表达。研究表明,LvPT1和LvPT2与虾SOPs应为同一类围食膜蛋白,可能参与了受精卵细胞的形成,并在保护对虾早期胚胎发育时免受外界病原微生物的侵染中发挥着重要作用。     

饲料中添加复合芽孢杆菌对凡纳滨对虾抗病毒感染能力及抗病基因表达的影响

自健康凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)分离到枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)、地衣芽孢杆菌(B. licheniformis)和短小芽孢杆菌(B. pumilus)，将上述芽孢杆菌以单一和3株复合的方式包裹在基础饲料表面，制成益生菌饲料；每日投喂对虾，3周后进行白斑综合征病毒(WSSV)人工感染。统计实验组和对照组的累积死亡率，测定对虾鳃组织内WSSV拷贝数，分析对虾肠道组织含半胱氨酸的天冬氨酸蛋白酶基因(Caspase)和硫氧还原蛋白基因(Trx)的相对表达量。结果显示，感染实验结束时，A组(枯草芽孢杆菌)、B组(地衣芽孢杆菌)、C组(短小芽孢杆菌)和D组(枯草芽孢杆菌+地衣芽孢杆菌+短小芽孢杆菌复合益生菌)的对虾累积死亡率分别为(73.3±7.0)%、(63.3±5.5)%、(75.0±7.9)%和(50.0±5.3)%，显著低于对照组(PBS组)(100%)；在整个感染阶段，各实验组的病毒拷贝数呈先上升后下降的趋势，但对照组呈现一直上升趋势，且显著高于实验组。抗病基因表达结果显示，WSSV感染后，各组对虾肠道Caspase相对表达量随感染时间的延长呈先上调再下调的趋势，且在18 h各组对虾肠道Caspase表达量达到最大值；益生菌摄取和WSSV感染都能刺激Trx的表达，益生菌的刺激相对平缓，且各实验组对虾肠道Trx相对表达量在WSSV感染后的18 h时陡升到最大值，极显著高于对照组，且以D组的激活能力最强。研究证实，枯草芽孢杆菌、地衣芽孢杆菌和短小芽孢杆菌均可提高对虾抗WSSV感染能力，复合芽孢杆菌抗病毒能力最突出。对虾抗病力的提高可能与芽孢杆菌减缓了病毒在靶组织的增殖速率、提高了Caspase和Trx基因表达水平相关。     

一种复合益生菌对凡纳滨对虾抗副溶血弧菌感染能力的影响

本研究选择1株地衣芽孢杆菌(Bacillus licheniformis)BL-9、1株枯草芽孢杆菌(Bacillus subtilis)BS-12、1株金丽假交替单胞菌(Pseudoalteromonas flavipulchra)CDM8,以1∶1∶1将其组成复合益生菌,各益生菌水体添加浓度为107 CFU/ml,进行为期30 d的凡纳滨对虾(Litopenaeus vannamei)养殖实验。实验分为暂养期(7d)、益生菌处理期(15d)、副溶血弧菌(Vibrio parahaemolyticus)攻毒期(10 d)。结果显示,养殖水体中添加复合益生菌能显著增加水体和对虾肠道可培养细菌总数(P<0.05),攻毒实验结束时,实验组对虾累积存活率为(73.33±6.83)%,显著高于阳性对照组(25.33±15.43)%。对虾抗病基因热激蛋白70(Heat shock proteins 70,Hsp70)、β-1,3-葡聚糖结合蛋白-脂蛋白(Beta-1,3-glucan-binding protein-lipoprotein,βGBP-HDL)、脂多糖-β-1,3-葡聚糖结合蛋白(Lipopolysaccharide-β-1,3-glucan binding protein,LGBP)、抗菌肽Crustin在益生菌处理阶段均出现不同程度的上调,在攻毒阶段虽呈现各自不同的表达情况,但所有基因都经历了更大幅度上调。研究表明,水体中添加芽孢杆菌和假交替单胞菌组成的复合益生菌可提高凡纳滨对虾抗副溶血弧菌感染能力,对虾抗病力的提高可能与益生菌增加对虾肠道可培养细菌数量、抗病相关基因表达水平及过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性有关。     

凡纳滨对虾细胞因子信号转导负调控因子 基因(Lv-SOCS)的克隆及特征分析

为了探讨凡纳滨对虾细胞因子信号转导负调控因子(SOCS)在病毒引发的免疫应答过程中的潜在作用,本实验根据前期的转录组和表达谱结果提示信息,首次克隆了凡纳滨对虾的SOCS基因(Lv-SOCS,GenBank注册号:KJ000426),利用在线软件进行了生物信息学分析,运用半定量的方法进行了组织表达分析,并利用实时荧光定量PCR(qPCR)技术分析了该基因在白斑杆状病毒(WSSV)侵染过程中的表达变化特征。结果显示,Lv-SOCS的ORF区1 191 bp,编码397个氨基酸,预测分析显示该基因编码的蛋白质含有1个SH2结构域和1个SOCS-box结构域,组织表达分析表明该基因主要在凡纳滨对虾血细胞、肠道和肝胰腺中表达。在WSSV感染后中晚期(6~48 hpi),Lv-SOCS可以被显著诱导,在血细胞中呈明显上调表达趋势,表明该基因在一定程度上参与了凡纳滨对虾体内由WSSV引发的先天免疫应答过程,上述结果为进一步研究Lv-SOCS基因在对虾应答病毒侵染过程中的功能和作用机制奠定了基础。     

对虾白斑综合征病毒囊膜蛋白VP110在中国明对虾鳃细胞中结合蛋白的鉴定与特性

为了鉴定对虾白斑病综合征病毒(WSSV)囊膜蛋白VP110在中国明对虾(Fenneropenaeus chinensis)鳃细胞中的结合蛋白, 运用pET-32(a)+载体构建了1段含RGD模体的截短VP110原核重组表达质粒, 转化大肠杆菌诱导表达后获得分子量为41 kD的截短重组VP110蛋白(rVP110)。以rVP110作为诱饵蛋白, 运用pull-down实验结合蛋白质谱分析鉴定rVP110结合蛋白, 结果显示, 中国明对虾鳃细胞中的肌动蛋白和精氨酸激酶(arginine kinase,AK)与rVP110具有结合作用。利用PCR扩增中国明对虾AK编码基因, 将其与表达载体pGEX-4T-1连接后转化大肠杆菌诱导表达获得重组AK蛋白(rAK), 通过pull-down实验进一步证实rAK可与rVP110发生结合。克氏原螯虾(Procambarus clarkia)体内中和实验结果显示, rAK对WSSV感染克氏原螯虾具有一定的中和作用, 能延缓螯虾的死亡进程。另外, 中国明对虾在人工感染WSSV后, 荧光定量PCR检测结果显示, AK基因表达水平显著上调, 18 h时达到峰值, 然后下降至正常水平; 酶底物法检测结果同样显示, 鳃细胞中AK酶活性在感染WSSV后发生显著上调。本研究旨在为深入了解WSSV囊膜蛋白VP110在WSSV感染宿主过程中的作用提供基础依据。

     

Prevalence of Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV) and White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) in Litopenaeus vannamei in the Pacific Ocean off the Coast of Panama

Abstract.— In March 2000, 104 wild caught Litopenaeus wannamei broodstock, captured off the Pacific coast of Panama, were screened for the following penaeid viruses: infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of IHHNV and WSSV in wild shrimp in this area of the Western Hemisphere and to acquire specific pathogen free (SPF) L. vannamei for inclusion into the Oceanic Institute's genetic breeding program. The prevalence of the viruses was determined using the dot blot hybridization format, which is a commercially available molecular method for detecting these viruses. Dot blot hybridization assays can be used as an initial screening method to detect moderately to highly infected shrimp. The results from the dot blot assays indicated the prevalence of IHHNV in 28% and WSSV in 2% of the 104 hemolyrnph samples tested. Results from this study were used to establish the initial candidate SPF status of the animals that were assessed and to determine the prevalence of two serious pathogens of penaeid shrimp captured from the wild of the Pacific Ocean in the Central American region off the coast of Panama.     

美人鱼发光杆菌对凡纳滨对虾非特异性 免疫功能及抗病力的影响

在基础饲料中分别添加0.1%和1%美人鱼发光杆菌灭活菌、0.1%美人鱼发光杆菌活菌配制成3种免疫实验饲料,以基础饲料为空白对照组饲料,每组设3个平行样。对个体质量为(4.83±0.36)g的凡纳滨对虾进行为期20 d的饲养实验,分别在0、5、10、15和20d进行取样,以血清中的酚氧化酶(PO)、酸性磷酸酶(ACP)、碱性磷酸酶(AKP)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)和溶菌酶(UL)活性为免疫指标,探讨了美人鱼发光杆菌作为免疫制剂对凡纳滨对虾非特异性免疫效应的影响;在投喂免疫饲料后的第22天,按0.004 2 kg/kg体重的剂量,直接投喂对虾白斑综合征病毒(WSSV)病料,并记录累积死亡率。结果表明,美人鱼发光杆菌免疫实验组对凡纳滨对虾血清中PO、ACP、AKP、UL和SOD活性影响明显高于对照组,并且在饲料中添加美人鱼发光杆菌后,明显提高了对虾抵御WSSV感染的能力。其中0.1%美人鱼发光杆菌活菌实验组的抗病毒感染能力最强,WSSV感染14d内累计死亡率为63.3%±5.8%;而对照组为96.7%±3.3%。研究表明,美人鱼发光杆菌添加在对虾饲料中能提高凡纳滨对虾非特异性免疫水平,增强抵抗疾病的能力,将其作为对虾免疫增强剂具有良好的应用前景。     

对虾白斑综合征病毒蛋白质组的研究进展

白斑综合征病毒WSSV(White Spot Syndrome Virus,WSSV)是引起对虾大规模死亡的主要病毒性病原,且该病毒感染的宿主广泛。自WSSV基因组全序列公布以来,国内外的学者对WSSV的研究热点转移到该病毒基因产物功能的相关研究上面来。弄清WSSV感染机理是有效防治病毒的基础,而对其感染机理的阐释则主要是搞清病毒各蛋白在感染中的作用,这些是WSSV蛋白质组学的研究内容之一。分析WSSV蛋白同时可以在分子水平上为研究海洋和陆地生物病毒的进化趋势提供有力的基础。     

A Profound Effect of Hyperthermia on Survival of Litopenaeus vannamei Juveniles Infected with White Spot Syndrome Virus

This study was conducted to examine the effect of increasing seawater temperature on White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) infection in juvenile Pacific White shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei ). Infection by WSSV was achieved using two methods, intramuscular injection and per os (oral) administration. Forty injected and 20 per os infected animals were kept in heated tanks at 32.3 ± 0.8 C, and the same number of WSSV infected animals were maintained in tanks at ambient temperature (25.8 ± 0.7 C). Despite the route of exposure, there were no survivors among the animals kept at ambient temperature; whereas, in heated tanks the survival of the WSSV infected juvenile shrimp was always above 80%, suggesting the existence of a beneficial effect from hyperthermia that mitigated the progression of WSSV disease. Moreover, this beneficial effect was not attributable to viral inactivation. Infected animals kept at 32 C had histologically detectable lymphoid organ spheroids suggestive of a chronic viral infection but were PCR negative (hemolymph) for WSSV. These findings might be related to low viral replication in WSSV-infected shrimp held at the higher environmental temperature. When the WSSV-infected shrimp were transferred from 32 C to ambient temperature, the mortality from WSSV ensued and was always 100%. Although the mechanism related to the beneficial effect of heating was not determined, our results indicate that increasing the water temperature modifies dramatically the natural history of the WSSV disease and the survival curves of WSSV-infected juvenile Pacific White shrimp.