Detection of Necrotizing Hepatopancreatitis (NHP) in Wild Shrimp from Laguna Madre, Mexico by a Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction

Abstract

The Laguna Madre in Mexico is a nursery, growth, and refuge area for shrimp and other wildlife species. These organisms support an important fishery for local industry (third place in Mexico), which may suffer diseases that are few studied. Wild shrimp were randomly collected from two sampling stations (Carrizal and Carbonera) once a month for one year (September 2007 to September 2008) to screen for virus and bacteria. The shrimp were taxonomically identified, organized in pools of three organisms per species and analyzed for the presence of WSSV, IHHNV, NHP and HPV by a commercial multiplex PCR kit (DiagXotics Inc. USA). All the wild shrimp species (Litopenaeus setiferus, Farfantepenaeus aztecus, and F. duorarum) were negative for the presence of virus. However, different pools of F. duorarum (prevalence of 15 and 5.6\%) and F. aztecus (prevalence of 17 and 5\%) were positive for NHP in both stations (Carrizal and Carbonera). This work is the first confirmation report of the presence of this bacterium on wild shrimp, which poses a potential threat to the local fisheries and aquaculture activities in the Laguna Madre and Gulf of Mexico.