Current Status and Opportunities of Immunological Research on Percid Fishes.

AbstractThe diversification of modern aquaculture systems with high-value finfish species, including Percidae, is hampered by various diseases or even epidemics caused by a wide range of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. The present meta-analysis revealed six viral, four fungal, and 30 bacterial families as the dominant threats to percid aquaculture, in addition to a broad and diverse list of 91 aquatic parasite families. Understanding the multi-faceted interactions between the percid host and diverse pathogens paves the way for effective health concepts in aquaculture. In the past decades, both general and percid-specific immune defence mechanisms have been elucidated that mitigate the invasion and pathogenicity of harmful microorganisms and parasites. Some of these immune parameters offer valuable approaches to optimize the current farming of percid fishes, which is still dominated by conventional pharmaceuticals, whereas immunostimulatory feed additives or vaccination strategies remain rarely used. Another efficient and sustainable way to combat common diseases in aquaculture is through selective breeding, but selective breeding programs for percids are not yet in operation. This review identifies existing knowledge gaps regarding immune modulation in percids and suggests approaches to increase their immunocompetence. The variety of criteria suggested here may be incorporated into modern healthcare concepts for percid fishes to ensure adaptation to societal and food production demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]