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Aeromonas veronii is a freshwater bacterium associated with many diseases in aquatic animals. In this study, the pathogenic of A. veronii was isolated from diseased Macrobrachium nipponense showing signs of weakness, poor appetite and red gills in some farms in Jiangsu province, China. The pathogenicity of A. veronii to M. nipponense was determined by challenge experiments. Results of artificial challenge showed A. veronii NJ1 was pathogenic to M. nipponense, and the LD50 was 4.5 × 106 CFU/ml at 7 d post infection. Detection virulence factors of the A. veronii NJ1 showed that A. veronii NJ1 produced caseinase, lipase, amylase, lecithinase, gelatinase and haemolysin. Detection of virulence‐related genes showed that A. veronii NJ1 was positive for aerolysin (aer), outer membrane protein (ompA), adhesin (aha), flagellin (flaA, flgH, flgM, flgN), lipoidase (lip), cytotonic enterotoxins (act, alt, ast), serine protease (ser), DNases (exu), haemolysin (hlyA), type IV pilus (tapA) and fimbrillin (fim). Antibiotic sensitivity testing indicated A. veronii NJ1 was susceptible to quinolones, but resistant to penicillins. Additionally, the immune‐related gene expression in M. nipponense was evaluated, and the results showed that anti‐lipopolysaccharide factor (ALF1, ALF2, ALF3), Cusrin1, Cusrin2, Cusrin3, Haemocyanin, i‐lysozyme and Prophenoloxidase were significantly upregulated from 6 to 24 hr after A. veronii infection. The results of our study suggested that A. veronii was an aetiological element in the mass mortalities of M. nipponense and this study provided preliminary insights into the diversity in the immune response of M. nipponense to the A. veronii infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]