Short CommunicationReplication of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in the polychaete Dendronereis spp.

- IHC and RT-PCR was used to determine WSSV replication in naturally infected Dendronereis spp.
- WSSV-immunoreactive nuclei present in the gut epithelium of Dendronereis spp.
- Nested RT-PCR produced a band at 364 bp. Both results suggested that WSSV replicates in Dendronereis spp.

This study investigated whether WSSV replicates in naturally infected Dendronereis spp., a common polychaete (Nereididae) species in shrimp ponds in Indonesia. To detect WSSV replication, (i) immunohistochemistry (IHC) using a monoclonal antibody against WSSV VP28 protein and (ii) nested RT-PCR using specific primers set for the vp28 gene to detect WSSV-specific mRNA were applied. WSSV immunoreactive-nuclei were detected in the gut epithelium of the polychaete and WSSV mRNA was detected with nested RT-PCR. This, together with the IHC results, confirmed that WSSV could replicate in Dendronereis spp. This is the first report showing that WSSV replicated in a naturally infected non-crustacean host.