RT-PCR amplification and sequence analysis of extra small virus associated with white tail disease of Macrobrachium rosenbergii (de Man) cultured in Taiwan

Viral Shrimp Diseases Listed by the OIE: A Review

Shrimp is one of the most valuable aquaculture species globally, and the most internationally traded seafood product. Consequently, shrimp aquaculture practices have received increasing attention due to their high value and levels of demand, and this has contributed to economic growth in many developing countries. The global production of shrimp reached approximately 6.5 million t in 2019 and the shrimp aquaculture industry has consequently become a large-scale operation. However, the expansion of shrimp aquaculture has also been accompanied by various disease outbreaks, leading to large losses in shrimp production. Among the diseases, there are various viral diseases which can cause serious damage when compared to bacterial and fungi-based illness. In addition, new viral diseases occur rapidly, and existing diseases can evolve into new types. To address this, the review presented here will provide information on the DNA and RNA of shrimp viral diseases that have been designated by the World Organization for Animal Health and identify the latest shrimp disease trends.

Genomic and antibody-based assays for the detection of Indian strains of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus and extra small virus associated with white tail disease of Macrobrachium rosenbergii

White tail disease (WTD) of cultured Macrobrachium rosenbergii is caused by Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV). Since both the viruses have small single strand RNA as genetic material with short generation time, they are more prone to mutations. Hence detection methods developed for one strain may be suboptimal for the detection of isolates from the different geographical locations. In the present study two new genomic based methods (RT-PCR and dot-blot hybridization) along with one immunological method (polyclonal antibodies based detection) were developed for the detection of Indian isolates of MrNV and XSV. Among genomic based methods, RT-PCR assay developed was most sensitive. Sensitivity of detection of RT-PCR was 1 fg (both MrNV and XSV) of total RNA extracted from purified viral inoculum preparation. In case of WTD positive whole tissue total RNA, the limit of detection was 10 fg for both MrNV and XSV. Dot-blot hybridization had a detection limit of 10 pg and 0.1 ng for MrNV and XSV respectively when RNA extracted from viral inoculum preparation was used; 0.1 ng and 1 ng when WTD positive whole tissue total RNA was used. Polyclonal antibodies against recombinant proteins (MrNV and XSV capsid) were synthesised. Western blotting and indirect ELISA revealed that the antibodies produced to be specific and highly sensitive. Recombinant protein (antigen) of MrNV and XSV capsid were detected at the dilution of 1:8000. However in case of infected prawn tissue sample, MrNV and XSV were detected at the dilution of 1:32,000 and 1:64,000 respectively. All methods developed are field applicable.

A Novel RNA Virus, Macrobrachium rosenbergii Golda Virus (MrGV), Linked to Mass Mortalities of the Larval Giant Freshwater Prawn in Bangladesh

Mass mortalities of the larval stage of the giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, have been occurring in Bangladesh since 2011. Mortalities can reach 100% and have resulted in an 80% decline in the number of hatcheries actively producing M. rosenbergii. To investigate a causative agent for the mortalities, a disease challenge was carried out using infected material from a hatchery experiencing mortalities. Moribund larvae from the challenge were prepared for metatranscriptomic sequencing. De novo virus assembly revealed a 29 kb single‑stranded positive-sense RNA virus with similarities in key protein motif sequences to yellow head virus (YHV), an RNA virus that causes mass mortalities in marine shrimp aquaculture, and other viruses in the Nidovirales order. Primers were designed against the novel virus and used to screen cDNA from larvae sampled from hatcheries in the South of Bangladesh from two consecutive years. Larvae from all hatcheries screened from both years were positive by PCR for the novel virus, including larvae from a hatchery that at the point of sampling appeared healthy, but later experienced mortalities. These screens suggest that the virus is widespread in M. rosenbergii hatchery culture in southern Bangladesh, and that early detection of the virus can be achieved by PCR. The hypothesised protein motifs of Macrobrachium rosenbergii golda virus (MrGV) suggest that it is likely to be a new species within the Nidovirales order. Biosecurity measures should be taken in order to mitigate global spread through the movement of post-larvae within and between countries, which has previously been linked to other virus outbreaks in crustacean aquaculture.

Developing immunological methods for detecting Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus and extra small virus using a recombinant protein preparation

Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV) have been identified as the causative agents for white tail disease (WTD) of M. rosenbergii. In this study, the gene sequences encoding MrNV and XSV capsid proteins were separately ligated into the pGEX-4T-3 expression vector and transformed into Escherichia coli. After induction, glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-tagged MrNV and XSV fusion proteins were obtained with molecular masses of 68 and 43 kDa, respectively. Specific polyclonal antibodies for MrNV and XSV against viral recombinant proteins and infected prawn tissues were verified using Western blotting. According to immunodot blot assay results, the detection sensitivities of antibodies were approximately 5 ng μL(-1) for both recombinant proteins GST-MrNV and GST-XSV. In additional, MrNV and XSV were detected at dilution levels of 1:2560 and 1:640 in the infected prawn tissues, respectively. No cross-reactions with white spot syndrome virus or grouper nervous necrosis virus were observed using immunodot blot assays. MrNV and XSV in infected muscle tissues were detected using immunohistochemistry. Although the detection limit of the immunodot blot assay was lower than that of nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, these polyclonal antibodies can be useful for confirming MrNV and XSV infections in field tests.

Production of recombinant capsid protein of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (r-MCP43) of giant freshwater prawn, M. rosenbergii (de Man) for immunological diagnostic methods

White tail disease (WTD) caused by Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV) is a serious problem in prawn hatcheries. The gene for capsid protein of MrNV (MCP43) was cloned into pRSET B expression vector. The MCP43 protein was expressed as a protein with a 6-histidine tag in Escherichia coli GJ1158 with NaCl induction. This recombinant protein, which was used to raise the antiserum in rabbits, recognized capsid protein in different WTD-infected post-larvae and adult prawn. Various immunological methods such as Western blot, dot blot and ELISA techniques were employed to detect MrNV in infected samples using the antiserum raised against recombinant MCP43 of MrNV. The dot blot assay using anti-rMCP43 was found to be capable of detecting MrNV in WTD-infected post-larvae as early as at 24 h post-infection. The antiserum raised against r-MCP43 could detect the MrNV in the infected samples at the level of 100 pg of total protein. The capsid protein of MrNV estimated by ELISA using anti-rMCP43 and pure r-MCP43 as a standard was found to increase gradually during the course of infection from 24 h p.i. to moribund stage. The results of immunological diagnostic methods employed in this study were compared with that of RT-PCR to test the efficiency of antiserum raised against r-MCP43 for the detection of MrNV. The Western blot, dot blot and ELISA detected all MrNV-positive coded samples as detected by RT-PCR.

Production and Application of Polyclonal Antibodies Against Recombinant Capsid Protein of Extra Small Virus of Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus along with a satellite virus, extra small virus (XSV) causes white tail disease (WTD) in the giant freshwater prawn M. rosenbergii. Infected M. rosenbergii postlarvae were collected from a hatchery in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. The gene coding the capsid protein of XSV was cloned in a bacterial expression vector pRSET A and the recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3)pLysS cells. The recombinant protein was purified by Nickel affinity chromatography. Polyclonal antibodies were produced in mice against the recombinant protein and the antibodies reacted specifically with the recombinant protein and XSV in WTD-infected tissues. This is the first report of detection of XSV using antibodies against recombinant capsid protein.

White Tail Disease of Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Macrobrachium rosenbergii is the most important cultured freshwater prawn in the world and it is now farmed on a large scale in many countries. Generally, freshwater prawn is considered to be tolerant to diseases but a disease of viral origin is responsible for severe mortalities in larval, post-larval and juvenile stages of prawn. This viral infection namely white tail disease (WTD) was reported in the island of Guadeloupe in 1995 and later in Martinique (FrenchWest Indies) in Taiwan, the People's Republic of China, India, Thailand, Australia and Malaysia. Two viruses, Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus-like particle (XSV) have been identified as causative agents of WTD. MrNV is a small icosahedral non-enveloped particle, 26-27 nm in diameter, identified in the cytoplasm of connective cells. XSV is also an icosahedral virus and 15 nm in diameter. Clinical signs observed in the infected animals include lethargy, opaqueness of the abdominal muscle, degeneration of the telson and uropods, and up to 100 % within 4 days. The available diagnostic methods to detect WTD include RT-PCR, dot-blot hybridization, in situ hybridization and ELISA. In experimental infection, these viruses caused 100 % mortality in post-larvae but failed to cause mortality in adult prawns. The reported hosts for these viruses include marine shrimp, Artemia and aquatic insects. Experiments were carried out to determine the possibility of vertical transmission of MrNV and XSV in M. rosenbergii. The results indicate that WTD may be transferred from infected brooders to their offspring during spawning. Replication of MrNV and XSV was investigated in apparently healthy C6/36 Aedes albopictus and SSN-1 cell lines. The results revealed that C6/36 and SSN-1cells were susceptible to these viruses. No work has been carried out on control and prevention of WTD and dsRNA against protein B2 produced RNAi that was able to functionally prevent and reduce mortality in WTD-infected redclaw crayfish.

Viral diseases of the giant fresh water prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii: a review

The giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii is cultivated essentially in Southern and South-eastern Asian countries such as continental China, India, Thailand and Taiwan. To date, only two viral agents have been reported from this prawn. The first (HPV-type virus) was observed by chance 25 years ago in hypertrophied nuclei of hepatopancreatic epithelial cells and is closely related to members of the Parvoviridae family. The second, a nodavirus named MrNV, is always associated with a non-autonomous satellite-like virus (XSV), and is the origin of so-called white tail disease (WTD) responsible for mass mortalities and important economic losses in hatcheries and farms for over a decade. After isolation and purification of these two particles, they were physico-chemically characterized and their genome sequenced. The MrNV genome is formed with two single linear ss-RNA molecules, 3202 and 1250 nucleotides long, respectively. Each RNA segment contains only one ORF, ORF1 coding for the RNA-dependant RNA polymerase located on the long segment and ORF2 coding for the structural protein CP-43 located on the small one. The XSV genome (linear ss-RNA), 796 nucleotides long, contains a single ORF coding for the XSV coat protein CP-17. The XSV does not contain any RdRp gene and consequently needs the MrNV polymerase to replicate.

RNA viruses in the sea

Viruses are ubiquitous in the sea and appear to outnumber all other forms of marine life by at least an order of magnitude. Through selective infection, viruses influence nutrient cycling, community structure, and evolution in the ocean. Over the past 20 years we have learned a great deal about the diversity and ecology of the viruses that constitute the marine virioplankton, but until recently the emphasis has been on DNA viruses. Along with expanding knowledge about RNA viruses that infect important marine animals, recent isolations of RNA viruses that infect single-celled eukaryotes and molecular analyses of the RNA virioplankton have revealed that marine RNA viruses are novel, widespread, and genetically diverse. Discoveries in marine RNA virology are broadening our understanding of the biology, ecology, and evolution of viruses, and the epidemiology of viral diseases, but there is still much that we need to learn about the ecology and diversity of RNA viruses before we can fully appreciate their contributions to the dynamics of marine ecosystems. As a step toward making sense of how RNA viruses contribute to the extraordinary viral diversity in the sea, we summarize in this review what is currently known about RNA viruses that infect marine organisms.

Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus infection in M. rosenbergii (de Man) with white tail disease cultured in Taiwan

White tail disease (WTD) is a serious problem in Macrobrachium rosenbergii hatcheries and nursery ponds in Asia. The causative agents have been identified as M. rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and its associated extra small virus. This is the first report demonstrating MrNV virus in M. rosenbergii displaying WTD signs in Taiwan by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Amplified fragments of 850 and 425 bp for RNA-1 and RNA-2 of MrNV, respectively, were obtained by RT-PCR. RT-PCR products of about 850 and 1121 bp for RNA-1 and RNA-2 of MrNV were also obtained using different primer pairs. The amplicons were individually cloned into pGEM-T vector and sequenced. Using this recombinant plasmid of MrNV RNA-2 as DNA template, the non-radioactive DNA probes were prepared by PCR amplification with DIG-11-dUTP. The probes were used to successfully detect MrNV infection in the striated muscle tissues of WTD-diseased prawns using in situ hybridization. The 1121 bp genomic fragment of RNA-2 of MrNV consisted of a unique open reading frame with 1116 nucleotides, and it encoded a structural protein with 371 amino acids. The nucleotide sequence of the partial genome of MrNV RNA-2 revealed a 97% identity with an Indian isolate. A phylogenetic tree constructed using the nucleotide sequence of the viral capsid gene from insect and fish nodaviruses revealed that the MrNV Taiwan isolate could be interpreted as a new genus within the family Nodaviridae. However, its position showed more affinity with Alphanodavirus than with Betanodavirus. The study confirmed the presence of MrNV infection in freshwater prawns cultured in Taiwan suffering from WTD.