Shrimp viral pathogens have posed a serious problem to the world shrimp aquaculture industry.  Among some twenty-two shrimp viruses which have been described, several have implicated massive mortalities in cultured shrimp, such as white spot syndrome virus, yellow head virus and Taura syndrome virus.  At present, there are no simple solutions to the viral problem.  The prevention and control of shrimp viruses require a multifaceted approach, such as using specific pathogen-free brood stock, maintaining water quality, providing nutritious feed, and implementing effective viral monitoring and detection systems.  The development of sensitive viral detection/diagnosis assays make it possible to identify infected animals long before they show any clinical symptoms, thereby resulting in better management of diseases and the prevention of virus dissemination.  This article reviews the latest developments in shrimp viral detection technologies including nucleic acid-based methods, immunological methods and application of cell culture techniques.  The advantages and limitations of these methods are also discussed