Jm. Arcier et al., A viral disease associated with mortalities in hatchery-reared postlarvae of the giant freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii, DIS AQU ORG, 38(3), 1999, pp. 177-181
During mortality outbreaks in hatchery-reared Macrobrachium rosenbergii pos
tlarvae (PL) in Guadeloupe Island (French West Indies) during 1997, an asso
ciated viral disease was discovered and the agent was subsequently isolated
. The clinical signs presented by severely affected PL consisted essentiall
y of an opaque whitish appearance of the abdomen. Histopathological changes
in affected PL were characterized predominantly by pale to darkly basophil
ic, often reticulated, cytoplasmic inclusions in the connective tissue cell
s of most organs and tissues. The isolated virus was approximately 30 nm in
diameter as observed with an electron microscope by negative staining. By
its location, structure and size it could be related to different families
of the small RNA cytoplasmic viruses such as the Picornaviridae or the Noda
viridae. Its characterization is in progress.