First Report of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei Infection in Giant Freshwater Prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii de Man) Cultured in the Republic of Korea

SIMPLE SUMMARY: To our knowledge, this is the first reported detection of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) in cultured giant freshwater prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) in 2021. While the prawn farms exhibited no clinical signs of EHP or mortality, histopathological and molecular biological analyses detected EHP during disease monitoring. The prevalence of EHP in infected prawn farms ranged from 4.9% to 18.2%. This is the first case of EHP infection in giant freshwater prawns cultured in the Republic of Korea. ABSTRACT: In the Republic of Korea, Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) was first isolated from Pacific whiteleg shrimp in April 2020; however, there are no existing reports of EHP infection in other shrimp or prawns. Here, we aimed to investigate EHP infection and its prevalence in giant freshwater prawn farms in the Republic of Korea. We tested prawns from 22 farms for EHP infection, and samples from eight farms showed positive EHP infection results in 2021. In EHP-infected prawn farms, the prevalence ranged from 4.9% to 18.2%. The prevalence of EHP infection in the Republic of Korea, derived from the prevalence in prawn farms, was estimated to be 0.8% in 2021. The proliferation of EHP was observed within the hepatopancreatic epithelial cells of prawns using H&E and Giemsa staining. Mature EHP was observed in the sinus between epithelial cells of the digestive tubules. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a clade distinct from the previously reported EHP in Pacific whiteleg shrimps. This is the first report of EHP infection in a giant freshwater prawn in the Republic of Korea, where the prevalence of EHP infection is not high, but it is recognized as an emerging disease that requires periodic monitoring and quarantine management in giant freshwater prawns.