Mucosal Defense Mechanism in Fish: An Overview

Abstract

Mucosal surfaces are important physical barriers whose main function is to protect the systemic environment of the body against microbial invasion. It is the first line of defense to protect the animal and also functioning as an active immune tissue. Four mucosal-associated lymphoid tissues (MALTs), which start the immune responses are skin, gills, gut, and nose, have been reported in fish. Humoral and cellular immunity, their regulation and the factors that influence the response in these MALTs are still not well known in most fish species. These are principle doorway for microbial invasion and as such developing protective vaccines against these pathogens can serve as first line of defense against infections. In this review we have summarized the role of fish mucosal immunity to provide the first line of defense mechanism against microbial invasion. Increased knowledge of fish mucosal immune system will facilitate the development of novel vaccination strategies in fish.
Keywords: Mucus, mucosal immunity, MALT, B cells, T cells

Cite this Article
Supriya Dash, Jayashree Nanda, Soumyashree Barik et al. Mucosal Defense Mechanism in Fish: An Overview. Research & Reviews: A Journal of Immunology. 2017; 7(3): 1–5p.