However, this species like
any other commercially farmed shrimps is also prone to viral
and bacterial infection. Vibrio alginolyticus Sakazaki, 1968 is
an opportunistic pathogen that causes mortality in shrimp especially
under poor environmental conditions (Tseng & Chen
2004; Chen & Hou 2005). Penaeid shrimps have been found to
have antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) which are key factors of
their innate immunity (Okumura 2007). These are considered
as the front line host defense against pathogens. While several
AMPs have been reported in different species of shrimp (Zhao
& Wang 2008), this is the first report on the expression of these
molecules in a freshwater shrimp species