Abstract:China is one of the largest producers of cultivated mollusks and the production has increased steadily over the last 30 years. The aquaculture industry growing specific kinds of cultured mollusks in some localities or regions might suffer huge losses owing to infectious diseases. Mass mortalities of bivalves and small abalone (Haliotis diversicolor supertexta) associated with herpesviruses have frequently occurred since the 1990s, resulting in huge economic and social damages to related families and communities. Herpesvirus now represents the most destructive pathogen faced by mollusk aquaculture in China. Significant losses, which resulted from the epidemics associated with herpesvirus infection, have attracted enormous attentions in related sectors, including the scientific community. Epidemiological and etiological investigations showed that the herpesviruses infecting bivalves and abalone were Ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) and Haliotid herpesvirus 1 (HaHV-1). The outbreak of herpesvirus infection in mollusks not only happened in China but also in many other countries and regions around the world. Pacific oysters such as Crassostrea gigas were the most seriously affected bivalves. The significant loss associated with infectious diseases has attracted huge attentions from producers and researchers in the mollusk aquaculture sector around the world. To mitigate production loss associated with herpesvirus infection in mollusk aquaculture, researchers have investigated the characteristics of OsHV-1 and HaHV-1 viruses, their geographical distribution, susceptible hosts, epidemiological characteristics, and disease diagnosis and have tried to find ways to prevent and control them, including the use of disease resistance breeding. Large investments in scientific research has made OsHV-1 and HaHV-1 the most well studied viruses of mollusks. They also represented the only two mollusk viruses with clear classification status. In this study, we summarized the recent progress related to OsHV-1 and HaHV-1, with an emphasis on the occurrence, spread, damage, and disease control practices in China.
