ABSTRACT
It is the opinion of the authors of the Comment on Do et al. (2006), that those authors incorrectly interpreted their test results, which are more likely the result of mislabeling of samples or within-laboratory contamination, and that the TSV isolates found in Penaeus vannamei in Korea in 2004 and 2005 did not originate from Hawaii as claimed by the authors, but from a country (or countries) in southeast Asia. Finally, we believe that the authors did not follow proper international guidelines, extend a professional courtesy to the supplier of the disputed shrimp sample, nor take a critical approach in interpreting their own data. It is unfortunate that the authors did not follow through with additional testing, or seek a second opinion from an independent laboratory, before implicating shrimp imported from Hawaii as the source of TSV in Korea.
