Vibrio harveyi Infection Significantly Alters Amino Acid and Carbohydrate Metabolism in Whiteleg Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

Abstract

Vibrio harveyiis one of the pathogens that threaten the shrimp farming industry. However, metabolic changes induced byV. harveyi infectionin shrimp remain unknown. In this study, we first conducted high resolution-magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics studies on gill, hepatopancreas, and haemolymph ofV. harveyi-infected white leg shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei. Using multivariate statistical analysis, we observed a clear separation between the early (3 and 9 h post-injection (hpi)) and late phases (24, 72 and 144 hpi) of the infection in all tissues. Moreover, metabolic changes in response toV. harveyiinfection were faster in the haemolymph in the early phase and significantly changed in the late phase of the infection in the gills. Extensive changes were observed in the hepatopancreas, with 24 hpi being the turning point of progression from early to late phase infection in the hepatopancreas.V. harveyi infectionincreased the energy demand inL. vannameiand the amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism pathways also exhibited significant changes depending on the tissue. Thus, each tissue displayed different metabolic changes, depending on the progress of the infection.