Prevalence of monodon baculovirus (MBV) in wild shrimp Penaeus monodon in the Philippines

Prevalence of monodon baculovirus (MBV) was determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extracts from the hepatopancreas of the wild black tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon collected from 7 sampling sites in the Philippines. These sites are considered as the primary sources of broodstock and spawners used for hatchery operations. MBV was detected from all sites except Palawan during the dry season and Negros Occidental and Bohol during wet season. The prevalence of MBV showed no seasonal, sex and size variations. These results show that MBV is an established viral infection in wild populations of Penaeus monodon in the Philippines. Broodstock collected from the contaminated sites could serve as a reservoir of the virus which could infect the post-larvae used to stock in grow-out ponds.