The pathogenicity of two V. penaeicida strains, AM101 and KH-1, with different geographic origin, and V. nigripulchritudo strain AM102, were investigated in juvenile blue shrimp species Litopenaeus stylirostris. Alive bacteria and protein fractions (PFs) obtained from cell-free supernatants (CFS) were used in experimental challenges. Strains AM102, AM101, and KH-1 produced respectively 60, 54 and 12% mortality at 96h after infection using 104 cfu mL-1 of bacterial suspension. Exocellular toxin-like factors were evidenced in CFS from the New Caledonian strains (AM102 and AM101) but not the Japanese strain (KH-1). At 48h post injection of each CFS, mortality rates were respectively 96,98 and 5% when these strains were cultivated at 20°C, whereas only O,16 and 5% mortality rates were observed when these strains were cultivated at 30°C. Clear differences in pathogenicity between both V. penaeicida strains of distinct geographic origin (AM101 and KH-1) were thus emphasized. Protein fractions were obtained from CFS of all the strains tested in this study and cultivated at 20°C, by ammonium sulphate precipitation. Whatever the used strain, significantly higher mortalities were produced with PFs obtained with 0-40% of ammonium sulphate saturation, in respect to those produced with PFs60 and PFs80. Shrimp injected with PFs40 from strains AM102, AM101 and KH-1, and at a 20-µg org-1 dose produced respectively 100, 90 and 60% mortality 46h after the challenge. The strain AM101 showed a mediam lethal dose of approximately 5µg protein org-1 (1-1.25 µg protein g-1 body weight) 59h after injection. The PFs40 from New Caledonian strains were fond sensitive to heating and proteinase K treatments, reinforcing thus the hypothesis of their proteinaceous nature. Surprisingly, PFs40 from each bacterial strain displayed similar protein bands by SDS-PAGE suggesting that the tested strains share a common exotoxic compound regardless their distinct geographic origin or species.