IDENTIFICATION OF ACUTE HEPATOPANCREATICNECROSIS DISEASE (AHPND) IN BLACK TIGER SHRIMP (Penaeus monodon) PACIFIC WHITE SHRIMP (Penaeus vannamei), AND FRESH WATER SHRIMP (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Kay Lwin Tun1,2*, Siddhartha Kanrar, Kevin M. Fitzsimmons,  Moe T. Oo,  Hlain H. T. Kyi, May T. Oo, and Arun K. Dhar
 
1Laboratory of Aquatic Bioscience, Department of Zoology, University of Yangon, University Avenue, Yangon, Myanmar
2Department of Zoology, Mandalay University of Distance Education,  Mandalay,  Myanmar
 kaylwintun@gmail.com

The acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is an emerging disease that has caused amajor losses in shrimp aquaculture in Asia since the original report of the disease in 2009 in China. The disease has now spread to many neighboring countries including China, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand in Asia and Mexico, Belize Nicaragua and Honduras in the Latin Americas. AHPND now poses a serious threat to shrimp farming globally. The causative agent of AHPND was identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, V. campbellii and other Vibrio spp. that produces a toxin encoded by two genes pir A and pir B that are located in the plasmid DNA.

We have screened shrimp samples (N=36) from Myanmar that include Penaeus vannamei, P. monodon and Macrobrchium rosenbergii. These samples were collected from Rakhine, Yangon and Ayeyarwaddy regions of Myanmar. DNA PCR targeting pir A and pir B gene following an OIE Protocol detected both pir A and pir B genes in 5 samples, pir A only in 13 number of samples and pir B only in 3 samples. Our data clearly suggest that AHPND is present in Myanmar.

We are currently performing two tasks to further characterize the bacteria: 1) amplify and sequence the entire Open Reading Frames of pir A and B genes (ORF 23 and 24) to understand the genetic architechture of the toxin gene loci and, 2) amplify and sequence 16S rDNA using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) representing different species of shrimp screened, as well as samples that originated from different culture systems to understand the population dynamics of bacterial species in the hepatopancreas of samples that are positive for pir A, pir B and pir A& B genes.

This is the first report of AHPND from Myanmer. Our study clearly shows the need to implement biosecurity protocol to manage any potential outbreak of AHPND in the near future.