Improvement of PCR method for the detection of monodon baculovirus (MBV) in penaeid shrimp

Penaeus monodon-type baculovirus (MBV) infects and causes disease in hatchery-reared larvae and early stages of juvenile P. monodon. In this study, an improved 1-step PCR method was developed for the detection of MBV. The oligonucleotide primers, assigned as 261F and 261R, were designed from a genomic clone of MBV. Using extracted DNA from hepatopancreas or feces of ten geographic isolates of MBV infected shrimp, the PCR reaction yields a 261 bp fragment specific to the MBV sequence. Primers 261F/R did not cross-react with DNA from other shrimp viruses or with uninfected shrimp tissue. The detection limit of this primer pair is 100 copies of positive control plasmid DNA. This improved molecular method provides a diagnostic tool for identification of MBV in infected shrimp tissue collected from different geographic regions.