Effect of starvation and refeeding on the hepatopancreas of whiteleg shrimp Penaeus vannamei (Boone) using computer‐assisted image analysis

Under normal farming conditions, shrimp can experience starvation periods attributable to disease outbreaks or adverse environmental conditions. Starvation leads to significant morphological changes in the hepatopancreas (HP), being the main organ for absorption and storage of nutrients. In the literature, limited research has described the effect on the HP of periods of starvation followed by refeeding and none in whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) using computer‐assisted image analysis (CAIA). This study describes the effect of starvation and starvation followed by refeeding on the HP of whiteleg shrimp using CAIA. Visiopharm® software was used to quantify the following morphological parameters, measured as ratio to the total tissue area (TLA): total lumen area (TLA:TTA), haemocytic infiltration area in the intertubular spaces (HIA:TTA), B‐cell vacuole area (VBA:TTA), lipid droplet area within R cells (LDA:TTA) and F‐cell area (FCA:TTA). Significant changes were measured for HIA:TTA and LDA:TTA during starvation (increase in HIA:TTA associated with decrease in LDA:TTA) and starvation followed by refeeding (decrease in HIA:TTA associated with increase in LDA:TTA). In the future, HIA:TTA and LDA:TTA have the potential to be used in a pre‐emptive manner to monitor the health of the HP, facilitate early diagnosis of diseases and study the pathophysiology of the organ.