Abstract
The present work was undertaken to study the loose shell syndrome (LSS) in farmed Litopenaeus vannamei during the period of 2014 - 2015. The affected shrimps were collected from cultured ponds of West Godavari, East Godavari and Prakasam districts of Andhra Pradesh, India and were subjected to microbiological studies. Four species of bacteria were isolated from the diseased shrimps and were identified as V. harveyi, V. alginolyticus, V. fluvialis and V. parahaemolyticus based on their morphological characteristics and biochemical tests. In the present study, it has also been observed that mineral deficiency, poor water quality, bad management practices and association of Vibrio bacteria may be the causes of loose shell syndrome in L. vannamei.
