A TaqMan real-time PCR assay for quantifying type III hepatopancreatic parvovirus infections in wild broodstocks and hatchery-reared postlarvae of Fenneropenaeus chinensis in Korea.

A highly sensitive and specific TaqMan real-time PCR was used to quantify hepatopancreatic parvovirus (HPV) type III infections in wild broodstocks and hatchery-reared postlarvae (PL) of Fenneropenaeus chinensis. Totals of 159 and 162 wild brooders from three locations were captured, and 140 and 180 PL were obtained from seven and six commercial hatcheries in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Among the three wild broodstock groups from 2007, only 1 group showed HPV infection and 3.

Increasing production in Korean shrimp farms with white-spot syndrome virus PCR-negative brood stock.

White-spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a devastating, infectious virus affecting shrimp. Although sensitive techniques involving PCR have been developed to assist farmers in screening shrimp (brood stock) for WSSV prior to stocking ponds, such practices have not yet been applied in Korea. Despite the rationality of implementing screening, there has been some doubt as to whether the stocking of WSSV-PCR-negative fry epidemiologically decreases white-spot disease outbreaks.