Hawaii shrimp broodstock producers export more than half a million live shrimp annually to more than 15 countries. These countries require pre-shipment testing to prove that the shrimp are not infected with World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)-listed pathogens. In 2018, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) and the Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture (CTSA) provided funding to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources to create a diagnostic laboratory that would become U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved to perform testing for shrimp diseases that satisfies the requirements for exporting live shrimp.
The seven shrimp diseases that are currently listed by the OIE are the DNA viruses white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV); the RNA viruses Taura syndrome virus (TSV), infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV), yellow-head virus (YHV); the rickettsia-like agent causing necrotizing hepatopancreatitis (NHP); and acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease-causing Vibrio parahaemolyticus (AHPND). The newly created University of Hawaii Animal Diagnostic Laboratory (UHADL) has the ability to test for all these pathogens using protocols that follow the OIE standards.
Key to obtaining approval from the USDA to perform disease testing for export purposes is the creation of and adherence to a quality management system (QMS). At the time this abstract was written, 66 standard operating procedures have been written. This QMS ensures consistent, accurate, and timely PCR testing and enables the UHADL to meet the needs of Hawaii's shrimp broodstock industry.
The laboratory has validated the real-time PCR protocols for WSSV, NHP, AHPND, IHHNV, IMNV, TSV and a conventional PCR protocol for YHV. The test methods utilized at UHADL comprise those that are endorsed and published by a recognized reference. A test validation and optimization were performed for each of the seven OIE-listed disease. The accuracy level, specificity, limit of detection and quantitation, precision and repeatability were determined for each protocol. The PCR assays for CMNV, MoV, LSNV, and PVNV are in the process of being developed.