Detection of Ostreid Herpesvirus 1 from adult Pacific Oysters Crassostrea gigas Cultured in Korea

The presence of ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) and the percentage of viral DNA detected in Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas adults were investigated monthly between May and November 2012 at three locations along the southern coast of Korea. Among 210 oysters examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, OsHV-1 DNA was detected in only one oyster collected in August. The low detection rate of OsHV-1 DNA was consistent with the lack of reported OsHV-1-associated disease in C. gigas cultured in Korea. The sequence of the present PCR product amplified with the C2/C6 primer pair was identical to that of OsHV-1 ${\mu}Var$ except for one nucleotide, and the sequence amplified with Del36-37F2/Del36-37R showed a 605-bp deletion as in OsHV-1 ${\mu}Var$. Although these sequence data are insufficient to determine genotype, the results suggest that the herpesvirus detected was similar to OsHV-1 ${\mu}Var$. This is the first report on the presence of OsHV-1 in adult Pacific oysters cultured in Korea.