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Fishes
Special Issues
Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases
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Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Welfare, Health and Disease".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 8010

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Erlong Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712000, China
Interests: aquatic bacteriology; aquatic virology; aquatic animal immunology; fish vaccines; fish disease resistance genes; host–pathogen interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aquatic animal diseases caused by pathogen including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and others have posed a significant threat to the aquaculture and caused enormous economic losses to the global aquaculture industry. Recently, many preventive and therapeutic measures including vaccines, probiotics, Chinese herbs, etc. have been explored and applied to control the aquatic animal diseases. The academic exchange of original research on the control of aquatic animal disease is helpful to establish a local and global control strategy against these aquatic animal diseases.

This Special Issue is focused on the research and progress in all aspects of aquatic animal disease. We invite you to submit original or review articles that report emerging aquatic animal diseases as well as innovative strategies and measures for the determination, prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases. We shall also accept original research articles and review articles about host-pathogen interaction relationship, disease-resistance genes, epidemiology, pathogenesis and pathology of aquatic animal diseases. This Special Issue will provide new knowledge about the aquatic animal diseases, and promote the development of aquatic animal disease prevention and control.

Dr. Erlong Wang
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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.

Keywords

  • aquatic animal diseases
  • fish vaccines
  • immunostimulants
  • Chinese herbs in aquaculture
  • aquatic animal pathogen
  • host-pathogen interaction
  • disease-resistance genes

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 4183 KiB  
Article
Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 ORF41 Protein Degrades Pyruvate Dehydrogenase (PDH)-E1β to Promote Viral Replication in Gibel Carp Brain (GiCB) Cells
by Mingyang Xue, Chen Xu, Zhenyu Huang, Yan Meng, Nan Jiang, Yuding Fan and Yong Zhou
Fishes 2025, 10(3), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10030107 - 3 Mar 2025
Viewed by 402
Abstract
Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) is a major pathogen posing a serious threat to crucian carp farming and has led to major economic losses in China’s aquaculture industry. This research aimed to explore how the CyHV-2-ORF41 protein influences viral replication. Firstly, we found that [...] Read more.
Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) is a major pathogen posing a serious threat to crucian carp farming and has led to major economic losses in China’s aquaculture industry. This research aimed to explore how the CyHV-2-ORF41 protein influences viral replication. Firstly, we found that ORF41 overexpression in Gibel carp brain (GiCB) cells significantly enhanced CyHV-2 replication. Subsequently, GST pull-down and LC-MS/MS analyses were conducted to identify ORF41’s protein interactions. The results showed that ORF41 might interact with pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH)-E1β, an enzyme connecting glycolysis to the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Furthermore, ORF41 expression decreased the PDH-E1β levels, leading to pyruvate and lactic acid accumulation. Molecular docking and dynamics simulations confirmed a stable interaction between ORF41 and PDH-E1β. This research not only deepens our understanding of CyHV-2’s mechanisms of infection but also suggests potential targets for therapeutic strategies in aquaculture. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases)
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15 pages, 3996 KiB  
Article
Methyltransferase HsdM Regulates the Pathogenicity of Streptococcus agalactiae to Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)
by Dongdong Jiang, Bei Wang, Yan Ren, Xubing Mo, Meiling Yu and Defeng Zhang
Fishes 2025, 10(2), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10020086 - 19 Feb 2025
Viewed by 332
Abstract
DNA methylation is a critical mechanism for regulating gene expression in bacteria and plays an essential role in bacterial pathogenesis. A mutant, WC1535ΔhsdM, lacking hsdM encoding a DNA methyltransferase was constructed using homologous recombination technology. The growth, hemolytic activity, and capsule [...] Read more.
DNA methylation is a critical mechanism for regulating gene expression in bacteria and plays an essential role in bacterial pathogenesis. A mutant, WC1535ΔhsdM, lacking hsdM encoding a DNA methyltransferase was constructed using homologous recombination technology. The growth, hemolytic activity, and capsule formation of the mutant were analyzed. The dynamic distribution of the wild-type (WT) and mutant strains in tilapia tissues after artificial infection was determined. The adhesion, invasion, anti-phagocytic, and whole-blood survival abilities of the WT and mutant strains were analyzed. Tilapia were intraperitoneally injected with the WT or mutant strains, and the LD50 values were determined. The expression levels of the immune-related genes in tilapia were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The mutant showed faster growth during the logarithmic growth period (5–10 h) and lower hemolytic activity than the WT strain. Mutant loads in tilapia tissues were significantly lower than those of the WT strain. Mutant strain adhesion to epithelial cells was significantly reduced, it was more easily engulfed by macrophages, and it had decreased intracellular survival. The LD50 of the mutant was 2.06 times higher than that of the WT strain, indicating decreased pathogenicity. Expression levels of immune-related genes IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, and TNF-α in tilapia induced by the mutant were lower than those by the WT strain. In conclusion, the WC1535ΔhsdM mutant exhibited an increased growth rate and decreased hemolytic activity, tissue colonization, and pathogenicity, indicating that HsdM could regulate S. agalactiae growth and pathogenicity. This study provides new insights into the pathogenesis of piscine S. agalactiae. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases)
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25 pages, 2423 KiB  
Article
Molecular Immune Responses of Ruditapes decussatus to Vibrio Infection at Different Temperatures: Expression of Key Genes and Resilience-Associated Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms
by Dimitrios K. Papadopoulos, Ioannis A. Giantsis, Athanasios Lattos, Konstantina Bitchava and Basile Michaelidis
Fishes 2025, 10(2), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10020072 - 11 Feb 2025
Viewed by 632
Abstract
The impact of pathogenic Vibrio on bivalves is expected to be aggravated by global warming, posing a growing threat to aquaculture. Clam production has been particularly vulnerable, with significant losses attributed to the lack of pathogen-resistant strains. In this study, the mantle cavity [...] Read more.
The impact of pathogenic Vibrio on bivalves is expected to be aggravated by global warming, posing a growing threat to aquaculture. Clam production has been particularly vulnerable, with significant losses attributed to the lack of pathogen-resistant strains. In this study, the mantle cavity of the grooved carpet shell clam Ruditapes decussatus (Linnaeus, 1758) was injected with Vibrio splendidus at 18 °C, 22 °C, and 24 °C and the transcription of the phagelysozyme, Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn sod), tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 6 (traf6), inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB), and Fas-associated protein with death domain (fadd) genes were assessed during a 20-day period. Additionally, the coding sequences of lysozyme, fadd, and IκB in Ruditapes decussatus were characterized for the first time, and SNPs were identified. Some SNPs showed significantly different distributions between infection-resistant and infection-susceptible individuals. Infected clams experienced increased mortality at elevated temperatures. Lysozyme mRNA was upregulated in infected groups across all temperatures. The sustained increase on day 20, coinciding with elevated traf6 mRNA, suggests a prolonged activation of the immune response. Cu-Zn sod transcription at 18 °C and 22 °C peaked on day 7 and returned to control levels by day 20, indicating an effective immune response, while at 24 °C, infected animals showed a continuously increased transcription. IκΒ and traf6 transcription, reflecting NF-κB pathway activity, varied with temperature and showed transient stimulation at higher temperatures. The pattern of fadd expression indicated a late induction of apoptosis, particularly at 18 °C and 24 °C. Overall, this study illustrates the involvement of five key genes in host–pathogen interactions and identifies potential markers for selection for Vibrio resistance in Ruditapes decussatus. However, given the weak correlation observed, further research is needed on the link between these polymorphisms and pathogen resilience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases)
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19 pages, 2969 KiB  
Article
Garlic Powder Evaluation as Feed Additive on Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) Growth Performance, Feed Utilization, Gill Parasitic Treatment, and Monogenean Diversity
by Socorro Marisa Salgado-Moreno, Ranferi Gutiérrez-Leyva, Carlos Alfredo Carmona-Gasca, Sergio Martínez-González, José Carmen Ramírez-Ramírez, Carlos Omar De La Cruz-Moreno and Juan José Fernando Borrayo-González
Fishes 2025, 10(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10010034 - 18 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1753
Abstract
The present study evaluates garlic powder (GP) effects on growth performance, feed utilization, gill parasitic treatment, and monogenean diversity. Thus, a trial was performed under controlled conditions with 84 juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (39.8 ± 8.8 g initial weight), from culture ponds [...] Read more.
The present study evaluates garlic powder (GP) effects on growth performance, feed utilization, gill parasitic treatment, and monogenean diversity. Thus, a trial was performed under controlled conditions with 84 juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (39.8 ± 8.8 g initial weight), from culture ponds with monogenean parasite presence for 30 days. Four balanced diets in protein (32.5%) and lipids (6.4%) with GP inclusion levels of 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% were formulated, manufactured, and supplied daily at approximately 6.5% body weight/tank. The GP diets, compared to the Control (without GP), indicated that the three inclusion levels did not affect the water quality, survival, growth performance, and feed utilization parameters (p > 0.05). No differences were observed in the parasitological index of prevalence (20–25%), mean intensity (9.6–28), and mean abundance (2.7–5.3) among the experimental diets (p > 0.05), evidencing no effect by inclusion level. Efficacy among GP diets indicated a potential decrease in parasite number (13.4–45.6%) but not all monogenean gill parasites. In conclusion, GP diets did not affect the Nile tilapia survival, growth performance, and feed utilization parameters; therefore, its use is suggested as a preventive alternative for monogenean gill parasites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases)
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Review

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26 pages, 2732 KiB  
Review
Tracking Biomarkers for the Health and Welfare of Aquaculture Fish
by Joana Oliveira, Aires Oliva-Teles and Ana Couto
Fishes 2024, 9(7), 289; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9070289 - 19 Jul 2024
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4028
Abstract
Aquaculture production has been growing consistently over the last few decades to meet the increasing animal protein demand of the human population. However, increased production and rearing intensities raise the challenges of guaranteeing fish health and welfare, which is essential to avoid losses [...] Read more.
Aquaculture production has been growing consistently over the last few decades to meet the increasing animal protein demand of the human population. However, increased production and rearing intensities raise the challenges of guaranteeing fish health and welfare, which is essential to avoid losses and ensure product quality. Biomarkers can provide insights into the fish’s nutritional, physiological, and health status, and aid in the evaluation of early nutritional and physiological imbalances, distress conditions, and pathological diagnosis. The discovery and validation of biomarkers rely mostly on the use of information provided by different parameters, including biochemical, metabolic, or immunologic, as well as several omics, from genomics and transcriptomics to proteomics and metabolomics. In this review, a summary of the main biomarkers used in aquaculture is provided along with an overview of the main omics technologies available for further biomarker research. This review also highlights the need to develop non-lethal biomarkers that can easily and quickly be measured to provide a prompt response to producers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention and Control of Aquatic Animal Diseases)
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