Bioassays were carried out in a closed system to evaluate the susceptibility of Litopenaeus schmitti and Cherax quadricarinatus to white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) using L. vannamei as the positive control reference species. Animals were injected intramuscularly (20 ∞L shrimp–1) with a WSSV preparation obtained from the Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory of the University of Arizona. These infected organisms were reared separately in their respective experimental tank. Susceptibility to WSSV was significantly greater in L. vannamei than in the other two species (P < 0.05). The histological analysis showed characteristic inclusion bodies of WSSV in these three crustacean species, with a different distribution of infection depending on the tissue and species. In situ hybridization also showed these signs of infection in hemocytes and hepatopancreas.