ACUTE HEPATOPANCREATIC NECROSIS DISEASE (AHPND) IS A VERY LETHAL BACTERIAL DISEASE OF FARMED SHRIMP THAT HAS CAUSED BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF LOSSES WORLDWIDE SINCE THE DISEASE EMERGED IN CHINA IN 2009. IN THE US, THE DISEASE WAS DETECTED IN TEXAS IN 2017 AND CAUSED ENORMOUS LOSSES TO SHRIMP FARMERS. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO USE GENOMIC APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY GENES AND GENOMIC REGIONS ASSOCIATED WITH AHPND RESISTANCE IN SHRIMP. TO ACCOMPLISH THESE OBJECTIVES, DIFFERENT GENETIC LINES OF FARMED SHRIMP WILL BE EXPOSED TO THE DISEASE-CAUSING BACTERIA IN THE LABORATORY, AND SURVIVAL FOLLOWING THE BACTERIAL CHALLENGE WILL BE RECORDED. ADDITIONALLY, THE PATHOLOGY OF THE DISEASE-EXPOSED ANIMALS AND OTHER BACTERIAL PARAMETERS WILL BE EXAMINED. FINALLY, THE GENOMIC INFORMATION (I.E. PHENOTYPES, PEDIGREE, AND GENOTYPIC DATA) OF ANIMALS FROM DIFFERENT FAMILIES WILL BE USED TO IDENTIFY ANIMALS WITH SUPERIOR GENETICS AND DISEASE RESISTANCE CAPABILITY WITH HIGH ACCURACY. THE FINDINGS FROM THIS PROPOSAL WILL BE VERY VALUABLE TO THE SHRIMP INDUSTRY IN THE US IN ESTABLISHING A PIPELINE TO USE GENOMIC EVALUATION IN DEVELOPING DISEASE-RESISTANT SHRIMP AND MITIGATE LOSSES DUE TO AHPND.