Disease is a major limiting factor in the global production of cultivated shrimp. The microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) was formally characterized in 2009 as a rare infection of the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon. It remained relatively unstudied until mid-2010, after which infection with EHP became increasingly common in the Pacific whiteleg shrimp Penaeus vannamei, by then the most common shrimp species farmed in Asia. EHP infects the hepatopancreas of its host, causing hepatopancreatic microsporidiosis (HPM), a condition that has been associated with slow growth of the host in aquaculture settings. Unlike other infectious disease agents that have caused economic losses in global shrimp aquaculture, EHP has proven more challenging because too little is still known about its environmental reservoirs and modes of transmission during the industrial shrimp production process. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the EHP life cycle and the molecular strategies that it employs as an obligate intracellular parasite. It also provides an analysis of available and new methodologies for diagnosis since most of the current literature on EHP focuses on that topic. We summarize current knowledge of EHP infection and transmission dynamics and currently recommended, practical control measures that are being applied to limit its negative impact on shrimp cultivation. We also point out the major gaps in knowledge that urgently need to be bridged in order to improve control measures.

疾病是全球养殖虾产量的主要限制因素。微孢子虫寄生虫Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) 于 2009 年被正式定性为黑虎虾斑节对虾的罕见感染。直到 2010 年年中，EHP 感染在太平洋南美白对虾中变得越来越普遍，届时将成为亚洲养殖的最常见的虾种。EHP 感染宿主的肝胰腺，导致肝胰腺微孢子虫病 (HPM)，这种病与宿主在水产养殖环境中的缓慢生长有关。与在全球对虾养殖中造成经济损失的其他传染病病原体不同，EHP 已被证明更具挑战性，因为对其环境水库和工业虾生产过程中的传播方式知之甚少。本综述总结了我们目前对 EHP 生命周期的了解及其作为专性细胞内寄生虫的分子策略。它还提供了对可用的和新的诊断方法的分析，因为当前关于 EHP 的大多数文献都集中在该主题上。我们总结了 EHP 感染和传播动态的当前知识，以及目前正在应用的推荐实用控制措施，以限制其对虾养殖的负面影响。我们还指出了迫切需要弥合以改进控制措施的主要知识差距。