Piscine Macrophage Function and Nutritional Influences: A Review

Macrophage function is an important factor in resistance to infectious diseases in fish. Macrophages are the principal phagocytic cells and play an integral role in the specific immune response. Several factors, including nutrition and environmental stress, are known to affect macrophage function. In economically important cultured fish, the potential for enhancing macrophage function through dietary manipulation is especially attractive. This paper reviews the functions of macrophages, methodologies for their collection, assays to study various functions, and the influences of various nutritional factors on macrophage function.