White Spot Disease

White Spot Disease Latest News

Recently, the Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India informed the Rajya  Sabha about the white spot disease.

About White Spot Disease

• It is a highly contagious viral infection that affects crustaceans such as prawns, yabbies and crabs.
• Causative Agent:  It is caused by a virus called as White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV). This is a double stranded DNA virus of the genus Whispovirus and family Nimaviridae.
• Host range: All decapod crustaceans (order Decapoda), including prawns, lobsters and crabs from marine, brackish or freshwater environments, are considered susceptible to infection.
• Symptoms: The affected shrimp exhibit anorexia, lethargy, reddish discoloration and presence of circular white spots on the carapace and other exoskeletal parts.
• Transmission: It can be transmitted both horizontally as well as vertically.
  • Vertical transmission: It occurs from infected brood stock to postlarvae.
  • Horizontal transmission: It is through carrier animals or through cannibalism of infected organisms.
• It has been officially reported from Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Source: PIB

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