The Cure for White Feces Syndrome
We discovered the cure for White Feces Syndrome in White Leg Shrimp Peneaus Vannamei.
White Feces Syndrome (WFS) is a big threat in shrimp producing areas. We have found a way to break the grasp of WFS and get production back in line so you are getting a good price for big shrimp. Farmers we have helped say it is a cure for White Feces Syndrome. Those are strong words and we may not be able to eradicate the causes of WFS but the results indicate we can save farms from the ravages of slow growth and high mortality associated with the syndrome.
What do we know about White Feces Syndrome? When you see white strands floating on the water surface you have WFS. Southeast Asia and China have been afflicted with the syndrome for a very long time. We are beginning to see symptoms in Latin America in recent years. It causes shrimp to grow slow and at varying rates so you end up with many size classes on one pond. You may have four or five size classes at harvest ranging from 30 count to 50 count. In areas affected by WFS the impact tends to get worse from year to year and shrimp growth slows more and more. Production drops and can result in a dramatic and sometimes devastating impact on farms and like entire regions.
We are beginning to understand the cause of White Feces Syndrome. The internet is full of misinformation and misdiagnoses regarding the cause and the cure. I have heard all kinds of things that have been blamed for WFS and seen many interesting products claiming to cure it. Only recently the World’s leading aquaculture pathologists confidently announced the true cause of WFS to be Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) associated with additional enteric pathogens that affect the hepatopancreas caused by vibrio species. Click here to read the report.
If you are not familiar with EHP you need to know a few things. First EHP is a parasitic mircosporidian that are part of a unique phylum of spore-forming unicellular fungi. These microsporidia are restricted to animal hosts and all major groups of animals, especially insects, host microsporidia. Microsporidia are responsible for common diseases in crustaceans and fish. The culprit we are concerned with is Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei. They are found widely dispersed in Asia and other parts of the world. They are known to severely retard growth in cultured shrimp and cause chronic mortality in severe cases. Check out this article about EHP and how it is expected to disrupt the industry and cause even more volatility. Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei infects the tubules of the hepatopancreas in shrimp, which damages the ability of this critical organ to gain nutrition from feed. On top of damaging the hepatopancreas their spores are nearly indestructible and can survive outside the host for years so getting rid of them is essentially impossible.
FIGURE 1 EHP-infected P. VANNAMEI from India (2015)
The spore is nearly indestructible.
Just EHP is bad enough and now throw in pathogenic Vibrio. Particularly when it comes to shrimp Vibrio species are responsible for causing many of the diseases and disruptions to their health and habitat. There are lots of Vibrio species in the environment and only a handful of them that cause problems but the problems they cause have resulted in dramatic declines in production at one time or another in pretty much every region shrimp are grown. The common denominator for Vibrio causing disease is the quantity of Vibrio present in ponds. So higher Vibrio counts mean more problems. Lower Vibrio counts means fewer problems.
Vibrio species and Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei are both present in the environment and both can find their way to even the most biosecure ponds. Even if eradication were possible it would only last for a moment in the real world of shrimp cultivation. Understanding how to live with and appropriately manage the microorganisms in your ponds is the only way to be successful in the future as water quality continues to degrade, fresh water becomes increasingly scarce, and the demand for shrimp forces intensification.
Now we know a few basics about both EHP and Vibrio so we can talk about white feces syndrome or white feces disease or anything you want to call it that is associated with white strands floating on ponds and dying shrimp. I am going to stick with white feces syndrome. Why? Because a syndrome is a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular condition. WFS is a combination of problems that occur together.
Syndrome noun
syn·drome | \ ˈsin-ˌdrōm also -drəm \
Definition of syndrome
1: a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality or condition
WFS is caused by poor cultural conditions. Like almost every major disease in the history of shrimp farming you find a combination of low dissolved oxygen, high organic matter, high Vibrio concentrations, poor water quality and mismanagement. In pretty much every presentation I give around the world I discuss the importance of improving culture conditions. I don’t do it because I am afraid shrimp will go on strike because of unsatisfactory food or water. I do it because it is the key to successful farming and big yields and therefore big profits. Have you ever heard an expert say you should not be concerned with water quality or pond bottoms? You haven’t because pathogens thrive in ponds with high organic matter and poor water quality. As far as we can tell pathogens are opportunistic and only cause problems when conditions are poor and animal immunity is compromised. Doesn’t it make sense to create conditions where shrimp thrive and pathogens struggle?
It is not difficult to create conditions that favor shrimp and White Feces syndrome is no longer a threat to your profits. You will need to get aggressive with the way you prepare ponds if you have been affected by White Feces syndrome in the past. If you have had chronic problems with WFS it is even more critical to prepare your pond correctly. Microsporidian are spore formers and these spores are nearly impossible to destroy so chlorine alone is not enough. It is highly recommended to apply 6 tons per hectare of Calcium oxide (CaO, quicklime, burnt lime), plow it into the dry pond sediment 10-12 cm deep and then moisten the soil to activate the lime. The soil pH should rise to at least 12 for a few days. Once the pH falls below 9 begin applying high quality probiotics like Waste & Sludge Reducer, PondToss, ShrimpShield or Terminate at a rate of 1 kg per hectare every 5 days. Getting beneficial probiotic bacteria to be the first bacteria to inhabit the pond allows you to keep pathogenic bacteria levels lower.
After appropriate pond preparation continuous application of probiotics is critical. If you have residual black organic pond bottoms use Waste & Sludge Reducer or a combination of PondToss and Waste & Sludge Reducer. I recommend 1 kg per hectare every 5 days. You want beneficial bacteria to be the dominant species in your ponds for a number of reasons. The most important reason related to white feces syndrome is to outcompete pathogenic Vibrio species. By applying more probiotic bacteria you limit habitat and available nutrients for pathogens and can keep their populations low. Not only do the probiotic bacteria outcompete pathogenic bacteria but they are constantly improving water quality and pond bottoms. If applied in appropriate quantities probiotics make water quality perfect and improve pond bottoms during each cycle. This leads to happier animals, better growth and survival and big harvests and then reduces the time, money and energy required to prepare the ponds for the next cycle. We have seen farms get better and better yields in ponds with a history of appropriate application of Keeton probiotics.
If you start to see the telltale white fecal strands on your pond it is time to act fast. This is an indication that conditions are pretty bad for your shrimp and they are loaded with microsporidians and Vibrio. This is likely due to inadequate application of quality probiotics. So what do you do? First start applying High quality probiotics like PondToss or Waste & Sludge Reducer at a rate of 1kg per hectare every 5 days. Applying every three days is better especially if you see dead animals and lots for white fecal strands. Next use FeedTreat to get probiotic bacteria directly into the infected shrimp. Great results have been achieved using 5g of FeedTreat per kilogram of feed one feeding per day for 10 days. Usually this stops the progression of the problem and can keep your remaining shrimp alive. If symptoms persist continue to use FeedTreat at 5g per kilogram of feed one feeding per day. Continue to apply the PondToss or Waste & Sludge Reducer or both as you need to improve water quality continue to outcompete Vibrio.
Although there is no true cure for White Feces Syndrome you can dramatically improve culture conditions and reduce the presence of the causative agents. Using high quality probiotics from Keeton Industries is a very easy way to decrease the impact of WFS and make conditions better for future cycles. Knowing that White Feces Syndrome is caused by multiple problems that are shared by the majority of shrimp disease doesn’t it make sense to improve conditions that limit all diseases? Using probiotic products from Keeton Industries can significantly improve culture conditions and reduce organic matter, suppress pathogen, and improve water quality limiting all types of disease. This end result is higher survival, bigger yields, and more profit.
The cost of probiotics is far less than the cost of any disease but especially those like White Feces that cause slow and irregular growth. The benefits of probiotics go beyond one cycle and one crop. When used consistently probiotics roll back the age of ponds and reduce habitat for pathogens meaning better performance and less time spent preparing ponds between cycles.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”
As usual an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and probiotics are excellent at preventing many issues including disease. Using simple techniques and quality probiotics from Keeton industries will help you not only survive White Feces Syndrome but thrive. For decades we have been helping farmers thrive while neighboring farms suffer from disease. With minor changes and great probiotics from Keeton Industries you can thrive as well. Contact us now so we can help you design a program for success for your pond. Get connected with your local Keeton Industries representative. We will tell you what steps to take and which products actually work to prevent and cure disease problems.