Investigating mucosal barrier function for immune resilience

The mucosal surfaces of fish (skin, gills, gut) are in constant contact with their aquatic environment, which is swimming with microbes and pathogenic threats.

Mucosal surfaces can be a portal for pathogens to colonize and infiltrate leading to localized or systemic disease.

In an aquaculture setting disease onset can be further exacerbated by production stressors such as high-density fish stocking, or poor water quality impinging on mucosal barriers of the animal.

Suboptimal mucosal barrier function is detrimental to the health and welfare outcomes of fish stocks but is poorly understood and described.

In this project we will investigate the key components which define mucosal barrier function in teleost, a large group of ray-finned fishes. 

We will gain a clear understanding of teleost mucosal health and define the host:pathogen relationship at the mucosal interfaces.

The long term benefit of this project could be to improve mucosal vaccine efficacy for common pathogens and possibly identify natural immunities which could be exploited in selected breeding strategies.

This information will be of significant value to the aquaculture industry and improve fish welfare.

Project lead: Dr Joel Slinger