Quantification of ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) in Crassostrea gigas by real-time PCR: Determination of a viral load threshold to prevent summer mortalities

French oyster farming has been experiencing severe mortalities since 2008 in Crassostrea gigas spat and juveniles mainly during the summer months. This recent phenomenon can be explained by the involvement of many factors including pathogenic agents such as the Ostreid Herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1). From July 2008 to September 2010, 424 oyster samples received from French oyster farmers were tested to follow the concentration of OsHV-1 by quantitative real-time PCR. Comparisons of OsHV-1 loads were also made according to oyster age, ploidy, origin (hatchery-bred or wild-collected) and sample status (healthy or dying). The survey revealed that high viral loads detected in spat and juvenile oyster tissues were associated with summer mortality occurrence. No significant differences were observed in pathogen detection in relation to oyster ploidy and origin. Finally, this study allowed us to define a viral load threshold of 8.8 × 103 of OsHV-1 DNA per mg of tissue, which can be useful to oyster farmers in evaluating mortality risk during the different stages of oyster handling.