Abstract
The vertebrate immune system is comprised of numerous distinct and interdependent components. Every component has its own inherent protective value, and the final combination of them is likely to be related to an animal’s immunological history and evolutionary development. Vertebrate immune system consists of both systemic and mucosal immune compartments, but it is the mucosal immune system which protects the body from the first encounter of pathogens. According to anatomical location, the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, in teleost fish is subdivided into gut-, skin-, and gill-associated lymphoid tissue and most available studies focus on gut. The purpose of this paper is to summarise the current knowledge of the immunological defences present in skin mucosa as a very important part of the fish immune system, serving as an anatomical and physiological barrier against external hazards. Interest in defence mechanism of fish arises from a need to develop health management tools to support a growing finfish aquaculture industry, while at the same time addressing questions concerning origins and evolution of immunity in vertebrates. Increased knowledge of fish mucosal immune system will facilitate the development of novel vaccination strategies in fish.
Highlights
According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), presently 52% of the 600 wild fish species with economic value are heavily depleted, 17% overfished, and the 7% fully exploited
In order to correlate gene expression patterns after injury with cell migration, chemotaxis of head kidney leukocytes towards lysates of epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells was studied, and the results suggest that the increased expression of proinflammatory genes is related to a rapid influx of neutrophilic granulocytes [349]
The results suggest that complicated local signalling networks are present in the fish skin and these networks are involved in the immune response to different microorganisms
Summary
According to the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), presently 52% of the 600 wild fish species with economic value are heavily depleted, 17% overfished, and the 7% fully exploited. There are some important challenges to develop productive, feasible, and sustainable aquaculture in present superintensive systems One of these challenges is that in large-scale production facilities where aquatic animals are exposed to stressful conditions, problems related to diseases and deterioration of environmental conditions often result in economic losses [2]. Control of such pathogens (most of which are bacterial) in fish farms has been routinely achieved by the administration of antimicrobial agents. Mucosal immunity in fish is a very rarely studied research field, there is currently great interest in this knowledge, and the study of the GALT has intensified in recent years [11, 12]. The results obtained during the early years will be analyzed, and this paper will end with the latest techniques
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