Disease Prevalence Survey of Wild Mud Crab Populations in the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands | Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture

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Location	Funding	Institution	Principal Investigator(s)
Palau	$24,801	Oceanic Institute of HPU	Brett P. Olds, Ph.D, Miguel Delos Santos

Overall Project Goal
The overall goal of this project is to determine the prevalence of harmful pathogens in wild populations of mud crabs in the USAPI, as well as in mud crabs imported into the region. Furthermore, the population genetic structure of local mud crab populations will be assessed to help determine species and origin of specimens.

Objectives
1. Collect samples from wild and imported mud crab populations in Palau, Guam, Saipan, Pohnpei and Kosrae (specifically, commercially viable species: Scylla serrata, S. tranquebarica, S. paramamosain and S. olivacea).
2. Use established protocols to test for white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), Taura syndrome virus (TSV) and mud crab reovirus (MCRV).
3. Develop microsatellite markers for use in mud crab and characterize the genetic structure in populations across the Pacific islands.