A paradigm shift in the understanding of piscirickettsiosis, also known as salmonid rickettsial septicaemia (SRS), is beginning to take shape in salmon farming. This is the view of Dr Francisca Madrid, a researcher at the University of Santiago, Chile, and one of the authors of a newly published study whose findings point to a key player in the salmon immune response that has been underestimated until now: transposable elements.