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Welfare, Health and Disease

A section of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888).

Section Information

The Welfare, Health and Disease section publishes high-quality research aimed at improving our understanding of all aspects of disease in animals and micro-organisms in marine, freshwater and brackish, wild and farmed habitats (e.g., host–pathogen relationships, pathophysiology, genetic disorders, tumours, metabolic diseases and diagnostic methods). The section also publishes the results of technical studies, surveys and reviews aimed at improving our understanding of the welfare of aquatic animals and how our actions directly or indirectly affect their welfare and, consequently, the sustainability of aquaculture systems (e.g., farms, laboratories, public aquaria) and wild animals whose welfare is compromised by human activities. The section welcomes manuscripts from all disciplines in the natural and social sciences. Papers on related ethical and legal issues may also be considered for publication. Diseases affect every aspect of a living organism, from cells, tissues and organs to individuals, populations and ecosystems. The section is aimed at veterinarians, fisheries biologists and ecologists, environmental biologists, pathologists, parasitologists, microbiologists and aquaculturists, among others, and lies at the interface of animal welfare, health and disease. Our articles are internationally recognised for their quality.

The scope of this section includes studies on:

Identification of aetiological agents for aquatic animal diseases;
Diseases caused by co-existing pathogens, abiotic factors or genetic disorders;
Nutritional disorders, stress and physical injury;
Nutrients, feed additives and gastro-intestinal health;
Epidemiology of aquatic animal diseases and zoonoses;
Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease;
Approaches include: parasitology, toxicology, genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, immunology;
Vaccines and disease prevention;
Diseases as indicators of human impact on nature;
Veterinary medicines and novel therapeutics;
Drug resistance and residues;
Animal welfare;
Ethical and legal issues.