Abstract

BOADA, Mélida; DE DONATO, Marcos  and  RODULFO, Hectorina. Detection of the Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV) in Asymtomatic Cultured White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei (Boone), in Venezuela.. Rev. Cient. (Maracaibo) [online]. 2008, vol.18, n.1, pp.07-11. ISSN 0798-2259.

The Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV) is a pathogen that may cause high mortalities in Litopenaeus stylirostris and the Runt Deformity Syndrome (RDS) in L. vannamei. In order to detect the presence of IHHNV in asymptomatic, cultivated shrimp, it were analyzed shrimp samples of cultivated L. vannamei from 5 farms located in the east and west costs of Venezuela. A total of 90 samples per farm were analyzed, using three sizes: PL8-PL15, juveniles of 5-6 g and of 12-15 g of weight. The DNA was extracted from homogenized samples of pleopods, using commercial kits. The detection of IHHNV was carried out by both dot blot hybridization and PCR using the Diagxotics kits ShrimpProbe and ShrimPCaRe Simplex, respectively. A total of 7 positive samples from 4 (B, C, D and E) of the 5 shrimp farms studied were detected. The prevalence in the farms ranged from 1.1 to 3.3%. All positive samples corresponded to individuals of 5 to 6 g of weight. PCR was a more sensitive technique than the dot blot hybridization. The presence of IHHNV in asymptomatic shrimp at low values of prevalence could imply that the shrimp populations used for culture in Venezuela are resistant or at least tolerant to this viral pathogen.

Keywords : Virus; Litopenaeus vannamei; IHHNV; prevalence.