Research

Our lab is constantly seeking to push the boundaries of aquaculture pathology, whether in disease prevention, new pathogen discovery, or improvement of diagnostic methods.

Recent APL Publications

Selected Referred Journal Articles

Year 2025:

• Mai, Hung, N., and Dhar, Arun K. 2024. Complete genome sequence of Penaeus vannamei singly enveloped nuclear polyhedrosis virus (PvSNPV) reveals more similarity to nudiviruses than baculoviruses. Microbial Genomics, In Press.

Year 2024:

• Cruz-Flores, Roberto and Dhar, Arun K. 2024. Tracking the emergence of a novel genotype of Decapod hepanhamaparvovirus in shrimp using laser microdissection and next generation sequencing. PLOS ONE, 19: e0311592. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.031159
• Dhar, Arun K. and Pantoja-Morales, Carlos. 2024. Reestablishing the need to include histopathology for health assessment of farmed shrimp in the era of molecular diagnostics. Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture, https://doi.org/10.1080/23308249.2024.2401583.
• Cho, Sungman, Schafer, Debbie A., Mai, Hung N., Riggs, Michael W., and Dhar, Arun K. 2024. Immunofluorescence detection of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei in Penaeus vannamei. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 226, 107039, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mimet.2024.107039.
• Siewiora, H., Cruz-Flores, R., Kanrar, S., Groumellec, Marc Le, and Dhar, Arun K. 2024. Identification and characterization of a novel strain of Decapod hepanhamaparvovirus in black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) from Madagascar that does not cause histological lesions. Aquaculture, 588, 740904, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.740904

Year 2023:

• Dhar, Arun K., Mai, Hung N., Cruz-Florez, Roberto and Warg, J. 2023.Comparison of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay performance in detecting Decapod penstylhamaparvovirus 1 in penaeid shrimp. J. Virol. Methods, 323: 114840.
• Alenton, Rod Russel R., Mai, Hung N. and Dhar, Arun K. 2023. Engineering a replication incompetent viral vector for delivery of therapeutic RNA in crustacean. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci- Nexus, 2: 1-9, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad278
• Dhar, Arun K., Cruz-Flores, Roberto, Mai, Hung N., Aranguren Caro, L. Fernando, Intriago, Pablo, and Romero, Xavier. 2023. Detection of a novel microsporidium with intranuclear localization in farmed Penaeus vannamei from Latin America. J. Inv. Pathol., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2023.107968
• Major, Samuel R., Harke, Matthew J, Cruz-Flores, Roberto, Dhar, Arun K., Bodnar, Andrea G., and Trigg, Shelly A. 2023. Rapid detection of DNA and RNA shrimp viruses using CRISPR-based diagnostics. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 89: 1-13, https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.02151-22

Year 2022:

• Cruz-Flores, Roberto, Thales P.D. Andrade, Mai, Hung N., Alenton, Rod Russel R. and Dhar, Arun K. 2022. Identification of a novel solinivivirus with nuclear localization associated with mass mortalities in cultured Whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Viruses, 14, 2220. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14102220.
• López-Carvallo, J, A., Cruz-Flores, R. and Dhar, Arun K. 2022.The emerging pathogen Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei drives a degenerative cyclic pattern in the hepatopancreas microbiome of the shrimp Penaeus vannamei. Scientific Reports, 12: 14766. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-19127-2
• Aranguren Caro, Luis Fernando, Muriel Gomez-Sanchez, Muriel, Piedrahita, Yahira, Mai, Hung N., Cruz-Flores, R., Alenton, Rod Russel R. and Dhar, Arun K. 2022. Current status of infection with infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian shrimp industry. PLoS ONE, 17(8): e0272456, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272456.
• Andrade, Thales P. D., Cruz-Flores, R., Mai, Hung N., and Dhar, Arun K. 2022. Novel Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (IMNV) variant is associated with recent disease outbreaks in Penaeus vannamei shrimp in Brazil. Aquaculture, 554: 738159.
•  Cruz-Flores, Roberto, Ramos, J., Garfias, M., and Lyons, G. 2022. Assessing genetic relatedness of infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) isolates recently detected in the US. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 28, 373-381. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2802.211874.
• Dhar AK, Cruz-Flores R, Ramos J, Garfias M, Lyons G. Assessing genetic relatedness of infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV, Decapod penstylhamaparvovirus 1) isolates recently detected in the US. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 28, 373-381. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2802.211874.

Year 2021:

• Mai HN, Aranguren Caro LF, Cruz-Flores R, Dhar AK. Development of a Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA) assay for acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) detection in Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Molecular and Cellular Probes. 2021;57:101710. doi:10.1016/j.mcp.2021.101710
• Powers Q, Caro LF, Fitzsimmons KM, McLain JE, Dhar AK. Crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) susceptibility to acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND). Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 2021 Feb 14:107554. doi:10.1016/j.jip.2021.107554
• Aranguren LF, Alghamdi F, De Belder K, Lin J, Mai HN, Millabas J, Alrehaili Y, Alazwari A, Algetham S, Dhar AK. The Effect Of Salinity On Enterocytozoon Hepatopenaei Infection In Penaeus Vannamei Under Experimental Conditions. BMC Veterinary Research. 2021;17(1):1–8. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-51713/v1
• Cruz-Flores R, Mai HN, Dhar AK. Complete genome reconstruction and genetic analysis of Taura syndrome virus of shrimp from archival Davidson's-fixed paraffin embedded tissue. Virology. 2021;553:117–121. doi:10.1016/j.virol.2020.11.009

Year 2020:

• Schofield PJ, Noble BL, Caro LF, Mai HN, Padilla TJ, Millabas J, Dhar AK. Pathogenicity of Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND) on the freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, and Pacific White Shrimp, Penaeus vannamei, at various salinities. Aquaculture Research. 2020;52(4):1480–1489. doi:10.1111/are.15001
• Aranguren Caro LF, Mai HN, Kanrar S, Cruz-Flores R, Dhar AK. A Mutant of Vibrio parahaemolyticus pirABVP (+) That Carries Binary Toxin Genes but Does Not Cause Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease. Microorganisms. 2020;8(10):1549. doi:10.3390/microorganisms8101549
• Aranguren Caro LF, Mai H, Pichardo O, Cruz-Flores R, Hanggono B, Dhar AK. Evidences supporting Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei association with white feces syndrome in farmed Penaeus vannamei in Venezuela and Indonesia. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 2020;141:71–78. doi:10.3354/dao03522
• Ochoa LM, Cruz-Flores R, Dhar AK. Detection and Phylogenetic Analyses of Taura Syndrome Virus from Archived Davidson’s-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Shrimp Tissue. Viruses. 2020;12(9):1030. doi:10.3390/v12091030
• Cruz-Flores R, Mai HN, Kanrar S, Aranguren Caro LF, Dhar AK. Genome reconstruction of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) from archival Davidson-fixed paraffin embedded shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) tissue. Scientific Reports. 2020;10(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-020-70435-x
• Aranguren Caro LF, Mai HN, Noble B, Dhar AK. Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (VP_AHPND), a chronic disease in shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) population raised in Latin America. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 2020;174:107424. doi:10.1016/j.jip.2020.107424
• Mai HN, Cruz-Flores R, Dhar AK. Development of an indirect Enzyme Linked Immunoassay (iELISA) using monoclonal antibodies against Photorhabdus insect related toxins, PirAVp and PirBVp released from Vibrio spp. Journal of Microbiological Methods. 2020;176:106002. doi:10.1016/j.mimet.2020.106002
• Caro LFA, Mai HN, Nunan L, Lin J, Noble B, Dhar AK. Assessment of transmission risk in WSSV-infected shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei upon cooking. Journal of Fish Diseases. 2020;43(4):403–411. doi:10.1111/jfd.13128
• Gangnonngiw W, Bunnontae M, Phiwsaiya K, Senapin S, Dhar AK. In experimental challenge with infectious clones of Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV) and extra small virus (XSV), MrNV alone can cause mortality in freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii). Virology. 2020;540:30–37. doi:10.1016/j.virol.2019.11.004
• Sullivan TJ, Dhar AK, Cruz-Flores R, Bodnar AG. Rapid, CRISPR-Based, Field-Deployable Detection Of White Spot Syndrome Virus In Shrimp. Scientific Reports. 2019;9(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-019-56170-y

Year 2019:

• Oakey J, Smith C, Underwood D, Afsharnasab M, Alday-Sanz V, Dhar A, Sivakumar S, Hameed ASS, Beattie K, Crook A. Global distribution of white spot syndrome virus genotypes determined using a novel genotyping assay. Archives of Virology. 2019;164(8):2061–2082. doi:10.1007/s00705-019-04265-2
• Cruz-Flores R, Mai HN, Noble BL, Schofield PJ, Dhar AK. Detection of Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei using an invasive but non-lethal sampling method in shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Journal of Microbiological Methods. 2019;162:38–41. doi:10.1016/j.mimet.2019.05.008
• Dhar AK, Cruz-Flores R, Caro LFA, Siewiora HM, Jory D. Diversity of single-stranded DNA containing viruses in shrimp. VirusDisease. 2019;30(1):43–57. doi:10.1007/s13337-019-00528-3
• Cruz-Flores R, Mai HN, Dhar AK. Multiplex SYBR Green and duplex TaqMan real-time PCR assays for the detection of Photorhabdus Insect-Related (Pir) toxin genes pirA and pirB. Molecular and Cellular Probes. 2019;43:20–28. doi:10.1016/j.mcp.2018.12.004
• Dhar AK, Piamsomboon P, Aranguren Caro LF, Kanrar S, Adami R, Juan Y-S. First report of acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) occurring in the USA. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 2019;132(3):241–247. doi:10.3354/dao03330

Year 2018:

• Aranguren LF, Dhar AK. Detection and quantification of Hepatobacter penaei bacteria (NHPB) by new PCR and quantitative PCR assays. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms. 2018;131(1):49–57. doi:10.3354/dao03285
• Kanrar S, Dhar AK. Complete Genome Sequence of a Novel Mutant Strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from Pacific White Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Genome Announcements. 2018;6(24). doi:10.1128/genomea.00497-18
• Jariyapong P, Pudgerd A, Weerachatyanukul W, Hirono I, Senapin S, Dhar AK, Chotwiwatthanakun C. Construction of an infectious Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus from cDNA clones in Sf9 cells and improved recovery of viral RNA with AZT treatment. Aquaculture. 2018;483:111–119. doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2017.10.008