Fish Cell Lines and Their Roles in Disease Management

Abstract

Fish health management faces significant challenges in aquaculture, where disease outbreaks cause substantial economic losses. Investigation of fish pathogens and diseases traditionally relied on live animals, which is ethically sensitive, time-consuming and costly. Recently, cell lines derived from fish have emerged as a valuable alternative to investigate disease dynamics. Fish cell culture presents several advantages to research over traditional methods, including serving as an alternative to live animals to study host-pathogen interaction in a controlled environment providing a platform to isolate and propagate pathogens. Furthermore, fish cell cultures have been widely used to screen therapeutic compounds, produce vaccines and immunostimulants, and develop new biological interventions to prevent and treat diseases. Regardless of these advancements, fish cell cultures pose challenges in optimizing techniques for different fish species and pathogens. Hence, protocol standardization and authentication of cell lines are essential to advance the in vitro assays utilizing fish cell lines. Fish cell cultures provide opportunities for advancing the comprehension of fish-pathogen interactions, leading to the development of effective strategies for disease control. Collaborative research and innovation are essential to explore the full potential of fish cell lines in research and fish health management.