Benchmark announces breakthrough in genetic disease resistance in shrimp

Benchmark Genetics, headquartered in Norway, published a new study in the journal Journal of Aquaculture highlighting advances in genetic resistance to hepatorenal enterocytozoon (EHP) and white fecal syndrome (WFS) in vannamei shrimp.

The discovery opens the door to sustainable disease control solutions for shrimp farmers, offering the potential to improve productivity, profitability and environmental stewardship across the industry, it said.

“Co-infection of EHP and specific bacteria such as Vibrio has been identified as a major contributing factor to WFS, resulting in stunted shrimp growth and significant financial losses for farmers,” the report explains.

The Benchmark study, conducted as a control experiment on a population from a breeding program in Colombia, demonstrates the ability to use genetic selection to improve disease resistance in shrimp.

Notably, the study found a moderate heritability of coinfection resistance, highlighting the potential of selective breeding to improve shrimp health and resistance to these diseases.

The genetics firm has already put these findings into practice by using genomic selection in its breeding program to create shrimp lines with increased resistance to EHP and WFS co-infection, it said.

“We are very excited to share our research findings with the aquaculture community,” said Carlos Lozano, shrimp and tilapia program manager at Benchmark. “This study confirms our commitment to innovative genetics-based solutions and underscores our commitment to improving both economic and environmental sustainability
shrimp farming around the world.”