ABSTRACT
In this paper,the bacterial community structure in the gills and intestines of Penaeus chinensis and Metapenaeus ensis were investigated using a culture-independent method of 16S rDNA PCR-DGGE fingerprinting. It was proved that there are abundant and various bacteria in the gills and intestines of these prawns. The bacterial community in the gills and intestines of the same prawn or different kinds of prawns were obviously different based on the clustering analysis of DGGE fingerprints. On the other hand, the same bacteria were found in different kinds of prawns. This was the first time to aim to set up a method to reveal the bacterial community in prawn based on 16S rDNA PCR-DGGE fingerprinting which is of great value for the studies of the relationship between prawn and environmental microorganism as well as the related diseases.