Detection of Vibrio penaeicida in kuruma prawn after transport

Abstract

In Japan, vibriosis caused by Vibrio penaeicida usually occurs in cultured kuruma prawn (Penaeus japonicus) during summer and fall. The causative bacterium can easily be detected from overtly diseased prawns, but from apparently healthy prawns the detection rate is low. The results of the conventional isolation method of the pathogen does not seem to reflect the true carrier rate because more prawns often come into overt infection after collection-transport-acclimation procedures, although such data have not been published.

In the present study, transport stress was given to apparently healthy prawns to verify the above phenomenon.