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Fishes
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Advances in Fish Pathology and Parasitology
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Advances in Fish Pathology and Parasitology

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Fish Pathology and Parasitology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2025 | Viewed by 2731

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Carmelo Iaria

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno D’Alcontres 32, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: fish pathology; infectious diseases; immunology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giovanni De Benedetto

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Viale G. Palatucci snc, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: fish; fish parasitology; fish pathology; fish parasitic diseases; sustainable production; aquaculture; fish-borne zoonosis
Dr. Sabrina Natale

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale F. Stagno D’Alcontres 32, 98166 Messina, Italy
Interests: fish; fish pathology; diagnostic pathology; sustainable production; marine biology; aquaculture; biology; molecular diagnostics; mollusks

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fish pathology and parasitology are considered significant scientific fields, characterized by their relevant role in specific sectors (such as aquaculture), especially concerning key aspects such as the monitoring of the health status of cultured fish and sustainable productions. Despite their substantial differences, these are undoubtedly complementary disciplines that are useful for better understanding diseases due to parasites in teleost. In some cases, parasitic diseases can promote the health status of their hosts with potentially fatal consequences. In recent decades, advances in fish pathology and parasitology have significantly improved the scientific and clinical approach of fish diseases, with positive implications for both the sustainability of aquaculture and the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. This has led to a better understanding of fish diseases and the conservation of healthier and more resilient environments. This Special Issue aims to provide scientific contributions on general fish pathology and parasitology, as well as host–pathogen interactions, and to improve the current knowledge on the immune adaptation of fish to potential diseases, including new diagnostic approaches and new developments of treatment used against parasitic diseases in both wild and farmed freshwater and seawater fish.

Dr. Carmelo Iaria
Dr. Giovanni De Benedetto
Dr. Sabrina Natale
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 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

  • aquaculture
  • fish parasites
  • host–parasite interaction
  • fish
  • fish pathology
  • diagnostic pathology
  • disease prevention
  • sustainable production
  • farmed aquatic organisms

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 6802 KB  
Article
Morphomolecular Characterization of Rhadinorhynchus niloticus (Acanthocephala: Rhadinorhynchidae) from Nile Perch (Lates niloticus, Perciformes: Latidae)
by Ebtsam Sayed Hassan Abdallah, Marco Albano and Hasnaa Thabit
Fishes 2025, 10(8), 397; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10080397 - 8 Aug 2025
Viewed by 291
Abstract
Adults of Rhadinorhynchus niloticus, a member of the Rhadinorhynchidae family, were isolated from the intestines of wild Nile perch (Lates niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758); Perciformes: Latidae) caught from the River Nile and its tributaries in Assiut City, Egypt. The parasite was found [...] Read more.
Adults of Rhadinorhynchus niloticus, a member of the Rhadinorhynchidae family, were isolated from the intestines of wild Nile perch (Lates niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758); Perciformes: Latidae) caught from the River Nile and its tributaries in Assiut City, Egypt. The parasite was found freely in the intestinal lumen with a prevalence of 10.71%, and the burden varied from one to five parasites per fish. The mean intensity and abundance were 2.16 ± 0.47 (95% CI: 1.33 to 3.17) and 0.23 ± 0.08 (95% CI: 0.11 to 0.43), respectively. The parasite was described using light and scanning electron microscopy. Molecular species identification as well as phylogenetic relationship analysis of the isolated parasite were achieved by sequencing and comparisons of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase C subunit I (COI) and nuclear 18S rRNA genes. The sequences were deposited in GenBank under the accession numbers PP859185 and MZ727194. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the parasites emerged from a separate branch belonging to the Rhadinorhynchidae family, which was clearly distinguished from other genospecies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fish Pathology and Parasitology)
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12 pages, 1451 KB  
Article
First Morphological and Molecular Identification of Intestinal Helminths in Wild Turbot Scophthalmus maximus (Linnaeus, 1758) Along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
by Alexander Atanasoff, Cigdem Urku, Elitsa Petrova-Pavlova and Feriha Tserkova
Fishes 2025, 10(8), 395; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10080395 - 7 Aug 2025
Viewed by 345
Abstract
Turbot Scophthalmus maximus (Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most valuable and economically important species for the Black Sea countries. In Bulgaria, their numbers are limited and stocks are depleted; therefore, monitoring development and health status is extremely important. Internal helminths are widespread [...] Read more.
Turbot Scophthalmus maximus (Linnaeus, 1758) is one of the most valuable and economically important species for the Black Sea countries. In Bulgaria, their numbers are limited and stocks are depleted; therefore, monitoring development and health status is extremely important. Internal helminths are widespread among turbots on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. However, description of this infection is relatively limited, and they have not been reported in scientific papers. For this purpose, a total of 36 hauls were made at depths from 15 to 90 m, and 65 turbots were examined for intestinal parasites. The present study represents the first report of internal helminths in turbot from Bulgarian marine waters through the spawning season, characterized morphologically based on a microscope observation and molecular identification. Evaluation of laboratory analyses revealed that two different parasites were determined: Bothriocephalus sp. (Müller, 1776) and Hysterothylacium aduncum (Rudolphi, 1802) and that 73.85% of the turbot were infected with one or more parasites. Based on the results, control measures and treatment for the wild population are unrealistic but should be considered for the containment and spread of diseases in aquaculture facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fish Pathology and Parasitology)
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17 pages, 4733 KB  
Article
Transcriptomic Analysis of Non-Specific Immune Responses in the Rice Field Eel (Monopterus albus) Infected with Pallisentis (Neosentis) celatus
by Qin Lei, Xiaoling Li, Hao Wu, Yiwen Wan, Yukun Xie, Jinwei Gao, Wenwen Suo, Ming Zeng, Lingli Liu, Dongsheng Ou, Zhonggui Xie and Rui Song
Fishes 2024, 9(11), 452; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9110452 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1219
Abstract
Parasitic infestations present significant threats to the physiological health and ecological stability of aquatic species, frequently compromising immune defenses and elevating mortality rates. This study was conducted to elucidate the non-specific immune responses induced by Pallisentis (Neosentis) celatus infection in Monopterus albus, [...] Read more.
Parasitic infestations present significant threats to the physiological health and ecological stability of aquatic species, frequently compromising immune defenses and elevating mortality rates. This study was conducted to elucidate the non-specific immune responses induced by Pallisentis (Neosentis) celatus infection in Monopterus albus, with a focus on intestinal histopathology and transcriptome gene expression. A histopathological examination revealed minor alterations in intestinal villi under low-level infection. A transcriptome analysis, performed using Illumina sequencing technology, identified 347 upregulated and 298 downregulated genes involved in critical biological pathways, such as lipid metabolism, immune responses, and the regulation of inflammatory processes. GO and KEGG analyses indicated the upregulation of immune-related pathways, including the RIG-I-like and IL-17 signaling pathways, highlighting a robust intestinal immune response. Conversely, the complement pathway was found to be downregulated, with significant suppression of C9, suggesting that the parasite may engage in immune evasion. Fluorescein-labeled C9 antibody assays confirmed reduced complement C9 levels in the infected tissues. A real-time PCR analysis identified the differential expression of eight genes, including C5, maats1, CFI, and gmnc, which were consistent with the sequencing results. These findings suggest that Pallisentis (Neosentis) celatus infection compromises intestinal health, induces inflammation, and activates non-specific immune responses in Monopterus albus. However, Pallisentis (Neosentis) celatus appears to evade the host immune response by suppressing the activation of complement components, thereby facilitating its reproductive parasitism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Fish Pathology and Parasitology)
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