This Research Topic is the second volume of the “Immunovirology in Aquatic Animals” Community Series. Please see Volume I here.”

Aquatic ecosystems are home to invertebrate and vertebrate animal species and provide important natural resources, including water, energy, cosmetic or pharmaceutical products, and food. Aquatic protein-rich animal foods contribute to global food security and nutrition, one of the greatest challenges faced at present by humanity. The conservation of aquatic biodiversity and natural resources together with the expansion of sustainable uses of the aquatic environment demands research in comparative immunology. In this context, aquatic viruses cause from asymptomatic infections to severe infectious diseases, threatening conservation, aquatic resources, and even human welfare. Assessing the innate or adaptive immune antiviral defence in aquatic animal species is therefore critical for disease prevention and treatment.

This research topic aims to collect current knowledge on viral immunology in aquatic animals, from aquatic mammals to shellfish. Global warming in aquatic ecosystems alters species distribution and increases invasive species, contributing to the spreading and emergence of new viruses. Aquatic viruses have potential risks to aquatic food security, human health, and for conservation of aquatic biodiversity. Aquaculture faces important harvest losses due to viral infectious diseases in fish and shellfish. Moreover, viruses cross-species infections between invertebrate and vertebrate species have been demonstrated. Regarding ecosystem conservation, unique symbolic species from fish to mammals, are threatened by viral infectious diseases. In addition, aquatic animals can host zoonotic viruses representing a direct threat to human beings.

To be prepared and fight viral infectious diseases in aquatic animals it is crucial to investigate innate and adaptive immunity to viral infectious diseases, to uncover the virus and host defence interaction at the cellular and the molecular level, to develop palliative and preventive treatments, or to assess viral immunology in wild animals inhabiting aquatic ecosystems including cross-species transmission contributing to virus dissemination and evolution. Technological advances in omics are bringing new discoveries in aquatic viral immunology.

We welcome the submission of original research articles or reviews that discern the bottlenecks of present research on viral immunology in aquatic animals (wild, farmed, or model species), and address any of the following themes:

• Cellular or molecular characterization of virus-host interaction.
• Innate or adaptive immunity to viral infectious diseases.
• Viral immune suppression.
• Viral evasion of the immune system.
• Development of vaccines and antiviral treatments and characterization of the host immune system modulation.
• Identification of novel molecules with antiviral functions in the aquatic ecosystem.
• Immunological methods for diagnosis or research.
• Ecosystem viral immunology and disease epidemiology, including cross-species transmission, identification of wild reservoirs, or emerging and reemerging viruses.

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Frontiers in Immunology

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