Prevalence of Enterocytozoon Hepatopenaei (EHP) in Penaeus Monodon Farms in India

Hepatopancreatic microsporidiosis (HPM) caused by Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) causes substantial economic losses to the shrimp farming industry. Most research on EHP was focused on Penaeus vannamei due to its widespread farming and impact. The information on EHP infection in farmed tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon, is scarce, especially considering its re-introduction and use of specific pathogen-free (SPF) seeds in India. A polymerase chain reaction–based (two-step PCR) survey targeting the spore wall protein (SWP) gene and SSU rRNA gene was conducted to understand the prevalence of EHP in P. monodon farms across six states, three each on the east and west coasts of India. While only 19 of 63 farms (30.15