Aquatic invertebrate aquaculture and fisheries are important economic sectors and play a crucial role in global food security. Despite the considerable increase in aquatic invertebrate aquaculture growth in recent years, the severe impact of diseases on production performance remains the most critical challenge to the sustainable development of the industry worldwide. A wide range of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, can infect farmed animals leading to severe economic losses to the aquaculture industry.
Studies on aquatic invertebrate immunity expand understanding of the molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions and contribute significantly to the management of diseases. Disease outbreaks ordinarily result from the disruption of the balance and harmony between host and pathogen, but also the endobiont microbial dysbiosis. Explaining the principles of microbiota-host-pathogen interactions is essential, considering it may provide insights into the mechanisms of infections. However, pathogens can evade elimination by the host immune system using various mechanisms and cause severe infections.
Recent studies have provided some novel insights into the immune defense in aquatic invertebrates. For example, the discovery of antiviral mechanisms in crustacean penaeid shrimp operating through specific and unspecific responses triggered by the RNAi machinery and interferon-like system, respectively. In addition, it should be noted that some pathogens (e. g. viruses) have adopted many different strategies to inhibit or subvert diverse intracellular signaling events to manipulate the homeostasis environment beneficially for its replication. Despite the vast body of work, our understanding of microbial infection and pathogenesis is far from complete. In addition, because of the urgent need for disease mitigation and prevention, some research progress has shown great potential for the protective effect elicited by RNAi therapy and antimicrobial agents, such as the antimicrobial peptides.
We welcome prospective authors to contribute Original Research, Review and Perspective articles covering but not limited to, the following sub-topics:
1. Molecular aspects involving the microbiota-host-pathogen interactions
2. Molecular mechanisms of host immune responses to infection
3. Evasion mechanisms used by pathogens to overcome attacks from the immune system
4. New therapeutic strategies for microbial infections in aquatic invertebrates
Keywords: innate immunity, immune regulation, aquatic invertebrates, microbiota-host pathogen interactions, therapeutics
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Submission deadlines: Abstract (24 July 2020). Manuscript (27 November 2020)
Topic Editors: Chaozheng Li (Sun Yat-sen University; Guangzhou, China), Luciane Maria Perazzolo (Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil) and Kunlaya Somboonwiwat (Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand).
Author guidelines: https://www.frontiersin.org/about/author-guidelines
