Viral Infections of Macrobrachium spp.: Global Status of Outbreaks, Diagnosis, Surveillance, and Research

Abstract

Macrobrachium rosenbergii, a global and economically important cultured freshwater prawn, is farmed on a large scale in many countries. Compared to penaeid shrimps, M. rosenbergii is a moderately disease-resistant species. However, viruses such as Macrobrachium hepatopancreatic parvo-like virus (MHPV), Macrobrachium muscle virus (MMV), infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV), white spot syn- drome virus (WSSV), Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV), and extra small virus-like particle (XSV) have been reported and are responsi- ble for economic losses to freshwater prawn culture. MrNV and XSV, the causes of white tail disease (WTD), have been reported as dangerous viruses to M. rosenbergii, resulting in 100% mortality in postlarvae and juve- niles within five days of infection. Clinical signs of WTD include lethargy and opaqueness of the abdominal muscle. Various aspects of WTD are dis- cussed in this paper, including tissue tropism of the causative viruses, host range, virus structure, vertical transmission, pathogenicity, and the possibil- ity of multiplying MrNV and XSV in a mosquito cell line.