<![CDATA[This study aimed to evaluate the differences in water quality parameters, bacterial populations, parasite infestation, and histopathological characteristics of Litopenaeus vannamei cultured under intensive and traditional aquaculture systems. A descriptive method with purposive sampling was applied in four ponds (two intensive and two traditional). Measured water quality parameters included temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrite (NO₂), ammonium (NH₄⁺), and total organic matter (TOM). Analyses were performed on total bacterial counts, Vibrio spp., parasite identification, and histopathological observation of shrimp organs. The results showed that the intensive culture system had higher concentrations of NH₄⁺ (1.6 mg/L), NO₂ (0.15 mg/L), and TOM (100–110 mg/L) compared to the traditional system (NH₄⁺ 0.3–0.4 mg/L; NO ₂<0.02 mg/L; TOM 70–75 mg/L). Total bacterial and Vibrio spp. densities in the intensive ponds reached 0.56×10⁵ CFU/mL and 0.2×10³ CFU/mL, respectively, while in the traditional ponds they were only 0.23×10⁵ CFU/mL and 0.08×10³ CFU/mL. Three dominant parasites, Zoothamnium, Vorticella, and Epistylis spp. were identified, with significantly higher abundance in the intensive system. Histopathological analysis revealed muscle degeneration and necrosis in the tail muscle, pereiopods, pleopods along with hepatopancreatic damage characterized by lumen constriction and necrosis in shrimps from the intensive ponds. This study demonstrated significant differences between intensive and traditional culture systems in terms of water quality, bacterial populations, parasite occurrence, and histopathological conditions of L. vannamei.]]>
