Abstract
We developed a qPCR assay based on the β-tubulin gene sequence for the shrimp microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP). This assay reacted with the hepatopancreas (HP) of EHP-infected shrimps, and the highest copy numbers were found in HP and feces samples from Southeast Asian countries (106–108 copies mg−1), while HP samples from Latin America, Artemia, and EHP-contaminated water showed lower amounts (101–103 copies mg−1 or mL−1 of water). No false positive was found with the normal shrimp genome, live feeds, or other parasitic diseases. This tool will facilitate the management of EHP infection in shrimp farms.
Highlights
Four clones from the isolate resulted in only one allele (100% identity), indicating the β-tubulin gene is a single copy gene in the Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) genome
All samples tested in this study came from shrimps exhibiting slow growth in farms from SE Asia and Latin America, and from contaminated Artemia
Using qPCR, we confirmed that feces contained high numbers of EHP copies, indicating that this may act as an important source of infection in ponds
Summary
Patharapol Piamsomboon 1,† , Seong-Kyoon Choi 2,3,† , Bambang Hanggono 4 , Yani Lestari Nuraini 4 , Fatma Wati 4 , Kathy F.
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