Hyperthermia does not protect Kona stock Penaeus vannamei against infection by a Taura syndrome virus isolate from Belize.

This study evaluated the susceptibility of Penaeus vannamei, Kona stock-line, to infection by an isolate of Taura syndrome virus from Belize (TSV-BZ) under hyperthermic conditions (32 degrees C). Shrimp exposed to the reference Hawaii-94 isolate of TSV (TSV-HI) showed resistance to infection at 32 degrees C as demonstrated by the absence of mortality, histopathological lesions and decreased viral load by qPCR. However, at 32 degrees C, shrimp were fully susceptible to the disease caused by TSV-BZ, exhibiting high mortality, severe histopathological lesions and increased viral load. This susceptibility of shrimp to TSV-BZ infection under hyperthermic conditions was independent of the route of infection (injection vs. per os) and the salinity of the water (11 vs. 28). TSV-BZ might be a temperature-permissible mutant of TSV.