Protein profiling in the gut of Penaeus monodon gavaged with oral WSSV‐vaccines and live white spot syndrome virus

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a pathogen that causes considerable mortality of the farmed shrimp, Penaeus monodon. Candidate ‘vaccines’, WSSV envelope protein VP28 and formalin‐inactivated WSSV, can provide short‐lived protection against the virus. In this study, P. monodon was orally intubated with the aforementioned vaccine candidates, and protein expression in the gut of immunised shrimps was profiled. The alterations in protein profiles in shrimps infected orally with live‐WSSV were also examined. Seventeen of the identified proteins in the vaccine and WSSV‐intubated shrimps varied significantly compared to those in the control shrimps. These proteins, classified under exoskeletal, cytoskeletal, immune‐related, intracellular organelle part, intracellular calcium‐binding or energy metabolism, are thought to directly or indirectly affect shrimp's immunity. The changes in the expression levels of crustacyanin, serine proteases, myosin light chain, and ER protein 57 observed in orally vaccinated shrimp may probably be linked to immunoprotective responses. On the other hand, altered expression of proteins linked to exoskeleton, calcium regulation and energy metabolism in WSSV‐intubated shrimps is likely to symbolise disturbances in calcium homeostasis and energy metabolism.