Experimental Infection of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP)
by Water and Sediment Transfer Between Pacific White Shrimp (Penaeus
vannamei) and Green Mud Crab (Scylla paramamosain)
1Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of
Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330,
Thailand.
2Aquatic Animals Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, Mahanakorn University of Technology, Bangkok, 10530,
Thailand. 3Graduate Program in Veterinary Science and
Technology (VST) International Program, Faculty of Veterinary
Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.4Department
of Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University,
Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.5Chanthaburi Coastal Aquaculture
Research and Development Center, Chanthaburi, 22000, Thailand.6College
of Veterinary Medicine and Institute for Veterinary Biomedical
Science, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of
Korea
Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei
(EHP) is an important shrimp pathogen, causing growth retardation syndrome which
leads to substantial economic losses worldwide. In this study, we examined the
possibility of EHP transmission between Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus
vannamei) and green mud crabs (Scylla paramamosain), a common benthic
species in shrimp culture environments. Naturally infected shrimp (with EHP
loads ranging from 10² to 10⁶ copies/µL) were used as donors for EHP
transmission to EHP-free crabs and shrimp through water and sediment transfer.
The recipient shrimp became EHP-positive 7 days post-exposure (dpe) (with EHP
loads ranging from 10¹ to 10⁴ copies/µL). Histopathological examination
confirmed EHP spores in the hepatopancreatic cells of the recipient shrimp at 7
and 14 dpe. The recipient crabs were EHP-positive after 14 dpe (EHP loads
between 10¹ and 10² copies/µL) and the crabs could transmit EHP back to the
recipient shrimp (EHP loads ranging from 10¹ to 10² copies/µL) 14 dpe via
the same route. Although the crabs tested positive for EHP through PCR and qPCR,
no histopathological change was observed. The present study suggests that green
mud crabs may act as a mechanical vector for EHP transmission, providing
information to enhance biosecurity protocols in shrimp farms to reduce the risk
of EHP contamination.
To Cite This Article:
Tanpichai P, Charoenwai O, Sataporn C, Srisuwatanasagul S, Chothirunpanit A,
Suksumran N, Jeon HJ, Kim B, Han JE and Piamsomboon P, 2025.
Experimental infection of
Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) by water and sediment transfer between
Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) and green mud crab (Scylla
paramamosain). Pak Vet J.
http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2025.126