White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a devastating viral disease in shrimp aquaculture. Infection of WSSV in penaeid shrimps affects immune defense and changes gene expression. PmVRP15 has been reported as a part of the WSSV propagation pathway that is highly up-regulated in hemocytes at the acute phase of WSSV infection. This study analyzed the expression of PmVRP15 in local populations of giant tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) to be associated with susceptibility to WSSV. Tested populations consisted of an inbreeding population (G 8 ) and outbreeding population (G 8iA ) from Jepara, Indonesia. Susceptibility was determined by cumulative mortality, median lethal time (LT 50 ), and severity of infection at time of death. Though all populations were susceptible to WSSV, the first mortality in G 8 occurred at 18 hours post-infection (hpi) with mild infection, while first mortality of G 8iA occurred at 30 hpi with severe infection. The LT 50 of G 8 was significantly lower than that of G 8iA , indicating that G 8iA was less susceptible to WSSV than G 8 . Relative PmVRP15 transcripts of G 8iA were insignificantly down-regulated, whereas relative PmVRP15 transcripts of G 8 were insignificantly upregulated. Although it's still not conclusive, the results of this study suggest that PmVRP15 has weak potential as a WSSV susceptibility marker in G 8 and G 8iA broodstock selection.