Shrimp EMS in Latin America identified

Researchers have identified four strains of Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) found in Latin American shrimp farms last year.

EMS is a fatal disease occasionally found in farmed shrimp throughout the world, with an estimated global cost to industry of USD 1 billion (EUR 937 million).

Four Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains of EMS, or acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), were isolated from either stomachs of diseased shrimp or sediment samples from AHPND-affected farms in Latin America.

“Our findings of 4 pirABvp-containing V. campbellii strains confirm that these strains are pathogenic to shrimp in bioassays and cause AHPND,” wrote Jee Eun Han, a scientist with the CJ CheilJedang Feed & Livestock Research Institute in South Korea, in a new Global Aquaculture Advocate article.

Identifying the different strains of EMS will aid in the development of methods to fight the disease.