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Rickettsial And Mollicute Infections In Hepatopancreatic Cells Of Cultured Pacific White Shrimp (Penaeus Vannamei), Rena M. Krol, William E. Hawkins, Robin M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Infections by multiple species of bacteria occurred in hepatopancreatic epithelial cells of cultured Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Grossly, hepatopancreases of moribund shrimp were pale white. Light microscopically, hepatopancreatic tubules appeared atrophied and were associated with granulomas. Examination by scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed heavy cytoplasmic infections by three forms of microorganisms: (1) a rickettsia-like bacterium, (2) a helical form of a mollicute-like bacterium, and (3) a filamentous mollicute-like bacterium. The rod-shaped rickettsia (900 nm long by 300 nm wide) appeared to be free in the cytoplasm and had both a plasma membrane and a cell wall. …