Detection of major penaeid shrimp viruses in Asia, a historical perspective with emphasis on Thailand

Asia leads the world in cultivated shrimp production with export earnings in the order of billions of US dollars per year. Despite this success, annual production decreased in the latter nineties because of widespread epidemics (epizootics) caused by new viral pathogens. Although these viruses were no cause for alarm to human health authorities, they were economically crippling for Asian shrimp farmers. In Thailand, shrimp production trends have...