The penaeid rod-shaped DNA virus (PRDV), which causes penaeid acute viremia (PAV)

Abstract

Morphology and property of viral nucleic acid of RV-PJ (rod-shaped nuclear virus of Penaeus japonicus), which causes mass mortality of kuruma shrimp (P. japonicus) were described. The virions of causative virus were long ovoid-shaped, and contained a partially lenticular-shaped cylindrical nucleocapsid measuring 84 nm × 226 nm within the loosely surrounding envelope. Nucleic acid from the purified virus particles were detected as a single band on a 0.8% agarose gel which was resistant to RNaseA and was digested with restriction endonucleases such as EcoRI, indicating that the viral genome consists of a non-segmented, double-stranded DNA molecule of approximately 163 kbp. These characteristics of the virus suggest that RV-PJ should be classified in the same group with unassigned rod-shaped ds-DNA viruses of invertebrates such as Oryctes rhinoceros virus, which were previously classified in the Nudibaculovirinae, a subfamily of the Baculoviridae. Therefore, we re-designate the virus as Penaeid rod-shaped DNA virus (PRDV). Furthermore, we propose to name the disease which caused by this virus as penaeid acute viremia (PAV).