Unexpectedly, we detected EHP in 4 out of 9 samples of frozen
Artemia biomass (Fig. 2, lane 9, a representative sample). From
EHP-positive Artemia biomass, its 18S rRNA gene was amplified
and sequenced, and the 1.1 kb fragment was 99.9% identical
(different in 2 nucleotides) to that of EHP from Vietnam, suggesting
the EHP present in Artemia biomass may have originated from SE
Asia. All 4 EHP-positive Artemia biomass samples came from one
individual provider, and it is possible that they were all harvested
from the same location.Concerns of EHP infections in farmed
shrimp populations are likely to continue, creating a need to
reduce risk through the establishment of effective means to control
and monitor this parasite. In this regard, the use of specific and
sensitive molecular methods for the detection of EHP in shrimp,
live feeds, and the pond environments will likely prove to be very
important. EHP-infected shrimp cannot be determined by simple