Combating WSSV based crustacean loss through early pond site detection: A review

Abstract

White Spot Syndrome Disease (WSD) is a formidable infectious disease that causes substantial instability and presents a major challenge to achieving sustainable aquaculture, especially in shrimp farming. This review emphasizes the need for early detection of WSSV in shrimp, as no effective therapeutics or vaccines have been developed in the past three decades. Early diagnosis of the disease within a short period is vital in reducing its spread and lowering mortality rates. Insights into viral genomics and the identification of infection mechanisms, supported by in-silico studies, have strengthened disease diagnosis and drug development. Beginning with an overview of traditional diagnostic methods such as histopathology and electron microscopy, this review highlights the importance of sensitivity and specificity in diagnostic tools, particularly for on-site applications. Considering the limitations of DNA amplification and serological methods, viz. lengthy detection times, the need for expertise, and variability in results, of late, several combinatorial approaches have been developed. WSSV biosensors will emerge as promising candidates for portable, user-friendly, rapid, and modifiable diagnostic tools soon. Finally, this review discusses the challenges and limitations of current methods, offering future research directions and recommendations aimed at achieving early-stage WSSV detection by integrating the advantages of various techniques.