Abstract / Summary
White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a highly virulent pathogen affecting the shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei . WSSV infection induces early molecular changes in host tissues, including structural, metabolic, and immune-related pathways. Several shrimp proteins identified as allergen-associated proteins in crustaceans including tropomyosin (TM), arginine kinase (AK), myosin light chain (MLC), sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein (SCBP), and hemocyanin, participate in essential cellular and immune functions but they are also recognized as allergens in humans. This study evaluated the effect of WSSV infection on the expression of allergen-associated genes in muscle and hemocytes of L. vannamei . Adult shrimp received 20 μL of WSSV inoculum or sterile 0.7% saline solution and were sampled from 1 to 72 h post-infection (hpi). Viral infection was assessed by qPCR targeting Ie 1–126. WSSV-infected shrimp showed clinical signs at 12–18 hpi. Relative gene expression analysis revealed tissue-specific modulation; in muscle, TM, AK, and MLC were significantly upregulated at late stages of infection (48–72 hpi), whereas in hemocytes, hemocyanin was the only gene significantly upregulated. Complementary ileal histopathological observations were performed in Wistar rats fed with crude extracts of non-infected or WSSV-infected shrimp tissues. Intestinal structural alterations and inflammatory cell infiltration, including eosinophil and mast cell recruitment, were more evident tissue alterations in rats exposed to extracts obtained from WSSV-infected shrimp. The upregulation of genes encoding allergenic proteins in shrimps in response to viral infection is a topic that deserves further investigation, considering the worldwide distribution of the virus.