Mariculture Research Laboratory, Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China;Key Laboratory for Sustainable Utilization of Marine Fisheries Resources of Ministry of Agriculture, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
2.
Mariculture Research Laboratory, Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
3.
Mariculture Research Laboratory, Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China;Science and Technology Bureau of Rizhao, Rizhao 276800, China
4.
Department of Life Science, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, China
The pathogenicity of white spot syndrome virus(WSSV)to zooplankton species,rotifer Brachionus urceus(Linnaeus),copepod Acartia clausi(Giesbrecht)and mysid shrimp Neomysis awatschensis(Brandt),was estimated by immersion challenge and virus-phytoplankton adhesion route to investigate a potential new transmission route of WSSV to zooplankton.WSSV succeeded in infecting these zooplankton species and nested-PCR revealed positive results for the virus-phytoplankton adhesion route,whereas WSSV cannot infect zooplankton by immersion challenge.These results indicated that virus-phytoplankton adhesion route is a successful new transmission route of WSSV to zooplankton and also implied that phytoplankton could be a carrier in WSSV transmission.