Aquatic Animal Viruses and Antiviral Immunity: A Closing Editorial

Authors: Polinski, Mark

Submitted to: Viruses
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/17/2026
Publication Date: 1/20/2026
Citation: Polinski, M.P. 2026. Aquatic Animal Viruses and Antiviral Immunity: A Closing Editorial. Viruses. 18/127. https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010127.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010127

Interpretive Summary: This editorial summarizes the rationale and content of the Special Issue “Aquatic Animal Viruses and Antiviral Immunity” published in the journal Viruses. It presents the motivation behind conducting the special issue, a synthesis of the findings from the paper published within it and closes with defining its relevance and contributions to future research direction.

Technical Abstract: Aquatic ecosystems host the planet’s greatest animal diversity—and with it, a remarkably varied virosphere. Nevertheless, across commercial and conservation aquaculture, decision makers are faced with three common persistent challenges: (i) distinguishing viral discovery from disease relevance, (ii) quantifying and acting on immunity at farm/population scale, and (iii) integrating host genetics, environment, and biosecurity into coherent control strategies. This Special Issue was launched to address these challenges by advancing our knowledge of aquatic animal–virus interactions and the antiviral defenses that shape disease outcomes across fish, crustaceans, and mollusks. The assembled papers (11 in total) collectively highlight advances in virus discovery, mechanistic pathogenesis, immune monitoring, and interventions that are directly applicable to aquaculture health management, pathogen surveillance, and environmental conservation.