Temporal and spatial dynamics of white spot syndrome virus in the Chinese mitten crab,Eriocheir sinensis

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is the most severe viral pathogen to the crustacean aquaculture industry worldwide. Recently, serious WSSV outbreaks caused catastrophic losses in the Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis in Jiangsu Province, Eastern China. However, to date, little is known about its infection mechanism in the new natural host. This study aimed to reveal the temporal and spatial dynamics of WSSV in E. sinensis. The slow viral growth in the early stage of infection was the light infection stage (from 0 to 24 hpi), and the exponential growth stage that followed was the logarithmic phase (from 24 to 72 hpi). The viral growth curve ended with the plateau phase (from 72 to 144 hpi) which demonstrated a consistent high level of viral load and accompanied heavy crab mortality. The viral load increased as time progressed with similar growth curves, however, at different degrees. The viral copy numbers of tissues at different time intervals, analysed using one‐way analysis of variance (anova ), showed significant differences between tissues at all time points (P < 0.05). Infection was detectable as early as 6 hpi in all the tissues screened. The severity of infection was found to be maximum in gill and pleopods, which could be recommended for diagnostic testing. This study might provide important data to analyse theoretically the interaction between WSSV and the host.