CZECH REPUBLIC - Work done by Mr Aranguren, University of Arizona, US, has identified that shrimp pre-infected with Taura syndrome virus (TSV) show some resistance to Yellowhead disease (YHD), writes Lucy Towers, TheFishSite Editor, live from AQUA 2012, Prague, Czech Republic.
Mr Aranguren noted how YHD is not present in the America's and how this may be due to the presence of TSV on farms. He also stated that YHD and TSV have similar acute and chronic phases and therefore might be related.
To perform the project, shrimp were infected with TSV and then injected with YHD 27, 37 or 47 days after initial infection. A control group were not infected with TSV.
The study showed that Pacific white shrimp that were pre-exposed to TSV acquired some protection from YHD. The final survival rate was an average of 55 per cent compared to zero per cent for shrimp not injected with TSV.
Mr Aranguren also did lymphoid organ sampling, noting that the center of the organs were infected with TSV but were not infected with YHV.
In conclusion, Mr Aranguren stated that he believes a viral interference effect exists between TSV and YHV.
