Antiviral immune response in fish and shellfish

Abstract

Innate immunity constitutes the main defense mechanism in fish and shellfish, which is the most antique and efficient system to protect organisms against microbial infections. In addition, lower vertebrates have less evolved adaptive immune responses compared to higher vertebrates, and therefore, rely on innate immune defenses for the control of pathogens (1). Nonetheless, it is worth noting that the contribution of both innate and adaptive immune responses leads to global protection against pathogens in the organism. The objective of this Research Topic is to reflect the significant advances in the study of the immune response against viral infections in fish. This topic contributes to identifying new mechanisms of response to infections and new effector molecules against viral pathogens. In addition, these studies provide a further understanding of the resistance of lower vertebrates to pathogens infection as well as to the prevention of exacerbated immune responses. The contributing articles collected in this Research Topic are grouped into the following proposed sections related to the antiviral defense in fish