For most marine aquaculture species, one of the main bottlenecks is the stable production of
high quality juveniles. The high and unpredictable mortality in the first weeks after hatching …

Fish, comprising over 27,000 species, represent the oldest vertebrate group and possess
both innate and adaptive immune systems. The susceptibility of most wild fish to parasitic …

In the present chapter, we provide an in-depth review of knowledge related to the intestinal
mucosal immune compartment of fish. The anatomical and physiological makeup is …

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules are key players in initiating immune
responses towards invading pathogens. Both MHC class I and class II genes are present in …

The purpose of this chapter is to provide readers with a general overview of the fish immune
system, including commonalities and particularities in comparison with higher vertebrate …

Most individual fish in farmed and wild populations are infected with parasites. Upon
dissection of fish, helminths from gut are often easily visible. Enteric helminths include …

A phenomenon already discovered more than 25 years ago is the possibility of naïve helper
T cells to polarize into TH1 or TH2 populations. In a simplified model, these polarizations …

Mast cells (MCs) were once considered only as effector cells in pathogenic IgE-and IgG-
mediated responses such as allergy. However, developments over the last 15 years have …

Sparicotyle chrysophrii (Microcotylidae) is considered the most threatening pathogen
affecting the gilthead seabream (GSB; Sparus aurata) off-shore farming due to its economic …

Akin to their mammalian counterparts, teleost fish possess a complex assortment of highly
specialized immune cells that are capable of unleashing potent innate immune responses to …