Genetics as a Powerful Tool for a Sustainable Aquaculture: Host–Pathogen Interaction and Breeding for Resistance

Dear Colleagues,

Infectious diseases are major losses that affect aquaculture production. Traditional systems such as vaccines and antibiotic treatments are used to prevent and control viral and bacterial diseases, but these approaches are sometimes ineffective, expensive, and difficult to manage. Knowledge of the genetic basis of host–pathogen interaction, disease-resistant, and antimicrobial-resistant genes and breeding for resistance could be useful tools to face this challenge. This global approach could, at the same time, enhance the sustainability of aquaculture production reducing direct and indirect costs related to disease management and reducing the environmental impact of drug treatment associated with the anti-microbic resistance phenomenon, one of the biggest public health challenges of our time.

Papers submitted this Special Issue should be original contributions focused on the following:

• Role of genetics in fish resistance to diseases
• Breeding for resistance
• Immunological response to fish pathogens
• Molecular characterization of fish pathogens
• Antibiotic resistance of fish pathogens

Dr. Silvia Colussi
Dr. Paolo Pastorino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.