The Epidemiologic Triads in Aquaculture: Host, Pathogen and Environment

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Background

Global aquaculture has grown dramatically in the past few decades, The expansion and intensification of aquaculture, poor water quality, overfeeding, and inadequate farm management results in local environmental degradation and the onset of both infectious and non-infectious diseases. Invertebrates, such as shellfish and molluscs, rely on cellular and humoral immunity of the non-specific (innate) immune system to defend themselves against infectious disease, while fish depend on both the innate and the adaptive immune systems to fight invasive pathogens. Understanding the complex interactions between host, pathogens and environmental conditions will facilitate the better control of diseases in aquaculture.

In recent years, several researchers examined the beneficial effects of several kinds of feed additives for aqua feed industry as dietary supplements to improve the feed intake, nutritional schemes and support higher fishmeal replacement levels as well as reduce the utilization of antimicrobial agents. Moreover, vaccine administration in fish is a critical component of fish health management, and it is generally accepted that vaccination is the most practical tool to control infectious diseases that threaten the aquaculture industry worldwide. Therefore, it is suggested that the use of feed additives as well as vaccination has huge potential value for the aquaculture industry.

Importantly, the outbreaks of disease caused by pathogens (e.g. viruses, bacterial, fungi) are often closely linked to (but not limited to) environmental conditions. For example, in fish, water temperature can affect the magnitude of the immune response as well as the replication rate of pathogens, and therefore can be directly linked to disease occurrence. Seasonal changes in immune response activity and occurrence of specific diseases have also been described in cultured aquatic animals. Moreover, increased water temperature driven by global warming may result in the stress response which can decrease the immune status of fish, shellfish and molluscs but also foster the probability of an emergence of non-native pathogens originating from warmer geographical regions.

The emergence of new pathogenic agents and the recurrence of diseases - that had been under control or markedly declining - are of particular concern in global aquaculture production. Despite the growing number of prophylactics being described, the lack of consistency in performance and the limited effective on-site farm application remain pressing issues. The causations that drive the persistence of the diseases are myriad, and they are greatly linked to the host's health status, infectious agents and the abiotic factors of the culture water.

The objectives of this Research Topic are to evaluate pathophysiology of aquaculture pathogen, particularly biologic pathways involved and clinical application of prophylactics and therapeutics in aquaculture immunology.

We welcome Original Research, Review/Mini-Review and Perspective/Opinion articles including, but not limited to, the topics below:

• Immunological evasion and resistance to the host's immune response under environmental changes
• Microbial transmission in changing environment and host adaptability
• The influence of host signals on virulence programs under varying environmental conditions
• Persistence of pathogens and phenotypic variability inside the host under different microenvironments

Keywords: aquaculture dieseases, host-pathogen interaction, environmental factors, immune responses, prophylactics, vaccine and adjuvants, feed additives

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