A narrative review on the white spot syndrome virus and the perspective of vaccine development

White spot syndrome (WSS) is a contagious disease caused by the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) affecting the shrimp industry mostly in South Asian countries. In the past decade, the incidence of WSSV infection and its prevalence has been raised drastically influencing massive economic loss in the shrimp culture industry. The key challenges in developing vaccines for aquatic organisms like shrimp include the complexity of their immune systems, the need for cost-effective mass production, and practical delivery methods in large-scale. This review explores the plant-based vaccine development as a possible approach to address these issues. Further, this review aims to present an update on the knowledge of WSSV and to explore the possibility of plant systems for the development of vaccines for aquatic organisms, especially for shrimps. This approach could be advantage for WSSV prophylaxis and contribute to the broader field of aquatic disease management.