Shrimp and fish disease test kits

A shrimp has no adaptive immune system. There are no antibodies and no immune memory, so it cannot be vaccinated in the way a dog or a pig can, and a pond that has met a pathogen once is not protected the next time.

Its defences are innate only: haemocytes, clotting and antimicrobial peptides in the haemolymph. Against a virus such as WSSV that is not enough; mortality in a stocked pond can reach most of the population within days of the first white spots.

The hepatopancreas and gut carry most of the load. EHP colonises the hepatopancreas and stunts growth without killing; AHPND bacteria destroy it and empty the gut; WSSV shows on the carapace. Because signs come late, farms test post-larvae, broodstock, feed and water before stocking, and screen ponds on a schedule rather than waiting for a die-off.

No antibodies, no vaccination

Control is exclusion and early detection, which makes PCR the primary tool rather than a confirmation.

Hours, not weeks

Lyophilised qPCR gives a result the same day at the hatchery or a regional laboratory.

Test the inputs

Post-larvae, broodstock, live feed and incoming water are where most outbreaks start; the panel covers all four sample types.

Several pathogens produce the same sign, and poor water quality produces several of them too, so a sign decides which PCR to run rather than what to treat. The six signs below cover most calls from a farm.

All 28 signs and the PCR for each