Prevalence of Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV) and White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) in Litopenaeus vannamei in the Pacific Ocean off the Coast of Panama

.— In March 2000, 104 wild caught Litopenaeus wannamei broodstock, captured off the Pacific coast of Panama, were screened for the following penaeid viruses: infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV). The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of IHHNV and WSSV in wild shrimp in this area of the Western Hemisphere and to acquire specific pathogen free (SPF) L. vannamei for inclusion into the Oceanic Institute's genetic breeding program. The prevalence of the viruses was determined using the dot blot hybridization format, which is a commercially available molecular method for detecting these viruses. Dot blot hybridization assays can be used as an initial screening method to detect moderately to highly infected shrimp. The results from the dot blot assays indicated the prevalence of IHHNV in 28% and WSSV in 2% of the 104 hemolyrnph samples tested. Results from this study were used to establish the initial candidate SPF status of the animals that were assessed and to determine the prevalence of two serious pathogens of penaeid shrimp captured from the wild of the Pacific Ocean in the Central American region off the coast of Panama.