Publication: False rumours of disease outbreaks caused by infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) in the whiteleg shrimp in Asia
1
Issued Date
2011
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eng
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Mahidol University
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BioMed Central
Bibliographic Citation
Journal of Negative Results in BioMedicine. Vol. 10, (2011), 10
Suggested Citation
Saengchan Senapin, Kornsunee Phiwsaiya, Warachin Gangnonngiw, Flegel, Timothy W. False rumours of disease outbreaks caused by infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) in the whiteleg shrimp in Asia. Journal of Negative Results in BioMedicine. Vol. 10, (2011), 10. doi:10.1186/1477-5751-10-10 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/2725
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Title
False rumours of disease outbreaks caused by infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) in the whiteleg shrimp in Asia
Abstract
Background: Infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) disease outbreaks in cultivated whiteleg shrimp Penaeus
(Litopenaeus) vannamei are characterized by gross signs of whitened abdominal muscles and by slow mortality
reaching up to 70%. In 2006 the first disease outbreaks caused by IMNV in Asia occurred in Indonesia. Since then
rumours have periodically circulated about IMNV disease outbreaks in other Asian countries. Our findings indicate
that these are false rumours.
Findings: Our continual testing by nested RT-PCR of shrimp samples suspected of IMNV infection from various
Asian countries since 2006 has yielded negative results, except for samples from Indonesia. Our results are
supported by the lack of official reports of IMNV outbreaks since January 2007 in the Quarterly Report on Aquatic
Animal Diseases (QAAD) from the Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia Pacific (NACA). In most cases, our shrimp
samples for which tissue sections were possible showed signs of muscle cramp syndrome that also commonly
causes muscle whitening in stressed whiteleg shrimp. Thus, we suspect that most of the false rumours in Asia
about IMNV outside of Indonesia have resulted because of muscle cramp syndrome.
Conclusions: Results from continual testing of suspected IMNV outbreaks in Asian countries other than Indonesia
since 2006 and the lack of official country reports of IMNV outbreaks since January 2007, indicate that rumours of
IMNV outbreaks in Asian countries outside of Indonesia are false. We suspect that confusion has arisen because
muscle cramp syndrome causes similar signs of whitened tail muscles in whiteleg shrimp.