Advances in the Immunology of Aquatic Animals

Dear Colleagues,

Aquaculture plays an increasingly central role in global food security, sustainable development, and ecosystem services. Ensuring the health of aquatic animals is therefore not only a biological necessity but a strategic priority for the long-term viability of aquaculture systems under increasing pressure from disease, environmental stressors, and climate change.

This Special Issue seeks to gather cutting-edge research and comprehensive reviews that advance our understanding of the immune systems of fish and shellfish, while also addressing the broader environmental, technological, and socio-economic contexts in which aquaculture operates.

We particularly welcome contributions that bridge fundamental immunological science with practical applications in vaccine development, disease surveillance, and sustainable aquaculture management. Contributions that integrate interdisciplinary approaches—such as omics technologies, ecological immunology, and One Health frameworks—are strongly encouraged.

Scope of the Special Issue

We invite original research articles, short communications, and reviews addressing (but not limited to) the following themes:

1. Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Aquatic Animals:

• Molecular and cellular mechanisms;
• Immune ontogeny and organ development;
• Immune memory and cross-species comparisons.

2. Host–Pathogen Interactions:

• Pathogen evasion strategies;
• Microbiome–immune system interactions;
• Emerging and re-emerging aquatic diseases.

3. Innovations in Vaccine Development and Immunization Strategies:

• Novel antigens, adjuvants, delivery systems (oral, immersion, nanoformulations);
• Evaluation of vaccine efficacy under farm-like conditions;
• Cost-effective strategies for low- and middle-income aquaculture systems.

4. Immunomodulation through Environmental and Nutritional Interventions:

• Role of probiotics, prebiotics, phytogenics, and functional feeds;
• Stress-induced immunosuppression (temperature, salinity, crowding);
• Epigenetic regulation of immune functions.

5. New Technologies in Aquatic Immunology:

• Use of omics (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics);
• Bioinformatics and systems immunology approaches;
• CRISPR and gene-editing strategies for resistance breeding.

6. Eco-Immunology and One Health Perspectives:

• Impact of climate change and pollution on immune responses;
• Zoonotic risks and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in aquaculture;
• Integrated health management at the animal–human–environment interface.

7. Socio-technical and Policy Dimensions of Aquatic Health:

• Health governance in aquaculture;
• Farmers’ knowledge and behavior regarding fish immunization;
• Institutional frameworks for disease prevention.

Prof. Dr. Zhitao Qi
Prof. Dr. Bei Huang
Dr. Mingzhu Pan
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. 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.