Author
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Beck, Benjamin |
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PEATMAN, ERIC - Auburn University |
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Submitted to: Complete Book
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 2/20/2015 Publication Date: 3/28/2015 Citation: Beck, B.H., Peatman 2015. Mucosal Health in Aquaculture. Waltham, Ma: Academic Press. p.1-395. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Abstract The mucosal surfaces (skin, gill, and intestine) constitute the first line of defense against pathogen invasion while simultaneously carrying out a diverse array of other critical physiological processes, including nutrient absorption, osmoregulation, and waste excretion. Aquaculture species depend more heavily on mucosal barriers than their terrestrial agricultural counterparts as they are continuously interacting with the aquatic microbiota. Unlike classical immune centers, such as the spleen and kidney, the accessibility of mucosal surfaces through immersion/dip treatments or dietary changes allows tailored chemical and nutritional strategies to maximize mucosal and, therefore, organismal health. Indeed, many areas of intense research in aquaculture over the last decade have hinged upon a better understanding of mucosal health. Nutritionists are hard at work studying the impacts of anti-nutritional factors in plant-based fish diets on gut mucosa and how to circumvent them. Feed companies are competing to produce superior immunostimulants, prebiotics, and probiotics that maximize mucosal health and decrease disease prevalence. Microbiologists and immunologists are studying mechanisms of pathogen adherence and entry through mucosal surfaces and designing attenuated mucosal vaccines to stimulate robust mucosal protection. This textbook cuts across all of these areas in order to capture and bring together our latest understandings of mucosal barriers in aquaculture species and their impacts on nutrition and immunity. |
