PRESENCE OF IHHNV IN WHITE SHRIMP (Penaeus vannamei Boone) PRODUCTIVE UNITS IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

Abstract

The Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) is considered one of the most important species bred in the world, and Mexico occupies the sixth place as world producer; however, the presence of the Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV) in farms is a risk for its production in coasts of the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The presence of IHHNV was determined in shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) bred in active shrimp farms in the states of Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche and Yucatán. Shrimp samples, 3,835, were taken with an average length of 100 mm and 13.4 g weight; the hemolymph was extracted individually and each organism was fixed in Davidson solution for histological analysis. The presence of the virus was sought in the hemolymph through the technique of polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the IHHNV was detected in seven farms in Tamaulipas and two in Tabasco; the histological exam did not reveal the cytological damages characteristic of IHHNV infection.