Correlation of Atmospheric Temperature with the Prevalence of White Spot Disease (WSD) and Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND) in the Philippines

Abstract

The growing crustacean aquaculture industry in the Philippines is a significant contributor to the seafood production sector. However, several problems hinder the growth and overall market production, the main factor being diseases. Previous studies observed that temperature changes affect shrimp’s physiological and immunological responses to different pathogens and parasites; hence, this meta-analysis examined the correlation of white spot disease (WSD) and acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) with atmospheric temperature changes. The analysis was conducted using the available data from the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease report of the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia Pacific, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration. Results indicated that temperatures ranging from 27–28 °C generally cause higher disease occurrences in the Philippines, as it facilitates optimum conditions for the infectivity of the causative agents of both diseases. Statistical analysis also has shown a positive correlation of temperature to the disease occurrence, indicating that temperature monitoring is crucial, especially in the culture of shrimps in a controlled environment. This information will serve as a guide to the fish health and aquaculture industry in mitigating possible disease outbreaks.