Abstract.-The largest number of shrimp farms in Costa Rica are located in the Pacific Coast's Gulf of Nicoya. In recent years, these farms have been affected by various diseases that damage the overall health of cultured shrimp. The research objective was to determine the prevalence of the main diseases in 3 different areas of the Gulf of Nicoya (Costa Rica) where Penaeus vannamei specie is produced. From August to October 2013 and February to May 2014, 3 farms were sampled in the region of Nicoya, encoded as F1, F2 y F3; 30 organisms were collected to be analyzed according to climatological season. Diagnostic methodological procedures (clinical examinations, bacteriology of hemolymph, histology and molecular analysis for the viruses WSSV, IHHNV, TSV and YHV) were done on each organism to determine the distinctive clinical signs of the diseases. An average prevalence of 2.22% for IHHNV, 13.33% for NHP, 32.78% for epicommensals, 33.89% for vibriosis, 100% for gregarines and 0% for viruses WSSV, TSV and YHV was found. For F1 and only in summer, IHHNV had the lowest prevalence with 13.33%. Furthermore, in addition to gregarines, one of the highest prevalence was obtained in the F3 during winter. This particular finding corresponded to diseases associated to epicommensals with 63.33%. In addition, the relationship between the prevalence of diseases within sampling site and the presence of diseases taking into account specific site and sampling date was analyzed. There is not enough evidence to establish a clear dependence among variables evaluated.Key words: White spot syndrome virus, parasites in shrimp, shrimp viral diseases, epidemiological surveillance, vibriosis diseaseResumen.-El Golfo de Nicoya de Costa Rica, concentra la mayor cantidad de fincas camaroneras del país, las cuales en los últimos años se han visto afectadas por diversas patologías que dañan el estado sanitario general de los camarones cultivados. La presente investigación determinó la prevalencia de las principales enfermedades en 3 sectores del Golfo de Nicoya (Costa Rica), donde se produce la especie Penaeus vannamei. Entre agosto y octubre del 2013 y entre febrero y mayo de 2014, se muestrearon 3 fincas en la región de Nicoya, codificados como F1, F2 y F3. Se obtuvieron 30 organismos de cada una y por cada estación climatológica analizada. A cada camarón se le realizaron procedimientos para determinar los signos clínicos característicos de las enfermedades más comunes, que incluyeron exámenes clínicos, bacteriología de hemolinfa, histología y análisis molecular para los virus WSSV, IHHNV, TSV y YHV. Se determinó una prevalencia promedio de 2,22% para IHHNV, 13,33% para NHP, 32,78% para epicomensales, 33,89% para vibriosis, 100% para gregarinas y 0% para los virus WSSV, TSV y YHV. Para la F1 y sólo en verano, IHHNV presentó la prevalencia más baja con 13,33% y aparte de las gregarinas, una de las prevalencias más altas se dio en la F3 durante invierno y correspondió a las enfermedades asociadas con epicomensales en un 63,33%. Se analizó la rel...

Streptococcosis is a bacterial disease in tilapia that produces economic losses, caused mainly by Streptococcus agalactiae and S. iniae. It is treated using oxytetracycline and florfenicol, which when inappropriately used promotes the selection of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). The disease has been mainly associated with stress events such as variations in temperature. The aims of the present study were (1) to detect by molecular methods two species of Streptococcus sp. in a tilapia farm, (2) to relate their presence to physicochemical parameters in the culture system, and (3) to detect the presence of ARGs in tilapia tissues and/or ponds. Tilapia grow-out ponds (n = 30) were sampled, collecting 15 individuals per pond. The physicochemical parameters of water were measured in each pond. Per pond, organs such as the liver, spleen, brain, and eyes were collected from each individual. Then, each organ type was pooled with the respective organ of the other individuals, processed for DNA extraction, and used for PCR analyses to determine the presence of S. agalactiae and S. iniae and for the detection of ARGs (tetM, tetO, fexA, and ermB). The correlations between the presence of S. agalactiae and water physicochemical parameters were determined. Sixty percent of the ponds and 46% of the organ pools were positive for S. agalactiae, whereas S. iniae was not detected. The positive samples showed the following resistance genes: tet(O) (29.1%), tet(M) (12.7%), and erm(B) (1.8%). A moderate but significant positive correlation was found between temperature and the presence of S. agalactiae. This work reported the molecular detection of two species of Streptococcus and ARGs, providing information that allows fast and effective control of these pathogens in tilapia farming. In addition, a future complementary study on Streptococcus sp. serotype distribution and antibiotic resistance genes from tilapia cultured in Costa Rica could also contribute to increase the knowledge of S. agalactiae infections in tilapia farming worldwide.

Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is a bacterial disease associated to severe mortality in farmed shrimps, and caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus containing plasmid pVA-1 encoding pirA and pirB toxins. This study investigates the presence of Vibrio spp. carrying plasmid pVA-1 in post larvae and juveniles Penaeus vannamei from farms located in Costa Rica. Moreover, a possible corelation between Vibrio spp. presence, management parameters, and water quality was also investigated. Between 2017 and 2018, post larvae, the first water pumped into ponds, and juvenile shrimp (6 to 7 weeks after stocking) were collected from 15 farms located in the Gulf of Nicoya and the country's Central Pacific region. On the day when the juvenile shrimp were collected, a survey was applied to farmers to obtain information about management conditions, finally physicalchemical parameters of pond water were measured. Plasmidic pVA-1 pirA and pirB genes were detected in hepatopancreas of juvenile shrimp in 5 (33.3%) farms, while Vibrio spp. were found in 6 (40.0%) farms. Sequencing of pVA-1, pirA and pirB genes showed 99-100% similarity to pathogenic Vibrio parahemolyticus XN89 homologous genes identified in Vietnamese shrimps. Statistically significant differences were found in the water volume (p < .03), rate of water replacement (p < .04), and farms disease history (p < .05). A correlation between presence of Vibrio spp. and water quality was not established. The molecular diagnosis of Vibrio spp., the plasmid and the genes encoding toxins that are associated with AHPND are reported for the first time in Costa Rica. Further studies aimed to isolate AHPND-causing Vibrio spp. from ponds, to generate histopathological data, and to establish economic losses due to AHPND mortalities in Penaeus vannamei farms, are needed to clarify the role and pathogenic features of Vibrio spp. in AHPND.

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Introducción. Cuando especies de animales invasoras se introducen en un ecosistema que no es su área de distribución natural, su control podría estar determinado por la posibilidad de utilizar estos organismos para el consumo humano u otra alternativa de manejo. Objetivo. Determinar las características físico-químicas del filete de H. aspidolepis, y comparar su calidad nutricional con especies de peces de consumo humano de origen marino y de aguas continentales. Materiales y métodos. Se recolectaron 109 peces en tres Refugios de Vida Silvestre en Costa Rica, durante el 2017, se pesaron en fresco y sin vísceras, además se pesó cada filete, las vísceras y la carcasa. Se les realizó un análisis proximal, para determinar el contenido de ácidos grasos, minerales y mercurio. Resultados. La longitud promedio de los individuos recolectados fue de 25,35 cm y el peso promedio fue de 162,55 g, de los cuales el 8,2 % fueron vísceras, y 19,02 % fue músculo. Para cada muestra se obtuvieron promedios por cada 100 g de: 80,69 g de agua, 17,64 g de proteína y 73,40 kcal de energía. Los niveles de grasa trans y carbohidratos totales fueron de 0,01 y 0,55 g 100 g-1, respectivamente. Los minerales por cada 100 g fueron 281,81 mg de potasio, 28,87 mg de sodio y 1,23 mg de hierro. Los ácidos grasos en mayor cantidad fueron: palmítico (23,64 %), esteárico (9,43 %) y tricosanoico (7,26 %). El nivel de mercurio total fue inferior a 0,15 ppm. Conclusiones. Los individuos colectados no poseían tallas ni porcentajes de peso de filetes similares a los utilizados para mercado y consumo humano. H. aspidolepis posee semejanzas en contenido proximal, ácidos grasos y minerales con respecto a algunos peces de consumo humano; los contenidos de proteínas y lípidos la hacen apta para su consumo y comercialización.

Differential histopathology of three bacterial diseases that affect the hepatopancreas of penaeid shrimp.

The use of antibiotics in aquaculture leads to the proliferation of multidrug-resistant bacteria, and an urgent need for developing new alternatives to prevent and control disease has, thus, arisen. In this scenario, postbiotics represent a promising tool to achieve this purpose; thus, in this study, isolation and selection of bacteria to further produce and evaluate their postbiotics antibacterial activity against fish pathogens was executed. In this respect, bacterial isolates from rainbow trout and Nile tilapia were obtained and tested in vitro against Yersinia ruckeri and Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida. From 369 obtained isolates, 69 were selected after initial evaluation. Afterwards, additional screening was carried out by spot-on-lawn assay to finally select twelve isolates; four were identified as Pediococcus acidilactici, seven as Weissella cibaria, and one as Weissella paramesenteroides by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization, time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Selected bacteria were used to obtain postbiotic products to test their antagonistic activity through coculture challenge and broth microdilution assays. The influence of incubation time prior to postbiotic production on antagonistic behavior was also recorded. Two isolates identified as W. cibaria were able to significantly reduce (p < 0.05) A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida’s growth in the coculture challenge up to 4.49 ± 0.05 Log CFU/mL, and even though the reduction in Y. ruckeri was not as effective, some inhibition on the pathogen’s growth was reported; at the same time, most of the postbiotic products obtained showed more antibacterial activity when obtained from broth cultures incubated for 72 h. Based on the results obtained, the preliminary identification of the isolates that expressed the highest inhibitory activity was confirmed by partial sequencing as W. cibaria. Through our study, it can be concluded that postbiotics produced by these strains are useful to inhibit the growth of the pathogens and could, thereby, be applicable in further research to develop suitable tools as feed additives for disease control and prevention in aquaculture.

Introduction. The white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) causes systemic destruction of ectodermal and mesodermal tissues in shrimp and can cause 100 % mortality. Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is an intracellular microsporidian that causes lysis of epithelial cells in hepatopancreatic tubules in shrimp. Objective. Detect the presence of WSSV and EHP in fifteen shrimp farms in the Gulf of Nicoya and the Central Pacific from Costa Rica. Materials and methods. Between January 2017 and July 2018 water during the filling process of the pond, postlarvae, and juvenile shrimp of Penaeus vannamei was collected, during a production cycle in each one of the fifteen farms. Samples were analyzed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers and protocols to detect the VP41B gene in WSSV, and the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene of EHP. Results. The presence of WSSV was detected in one farm, while EHP was not detected in any of the fifteen farms. The sequencing of the amplified segments of the VP41B gene showed 100 % identity with isolated shrimp sequences in Taiwan and Mexico. Conclusion. WSSV was detected at a very low frequency and EHP was not detected in this study. It is necessary to continue monitoring these agents in the country’s shrimp farms.