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Microorganisms
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Advances in Combating Bacterial Infections: Resistance, Treatment, and Prevention
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Advances in Combating Bacterial Infections: Resistance, Treatment, and Prevention

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 4214

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Victoria Birlutiu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Medicine, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Romania;County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Sibiu, Romania
Interests: COVID-19; sepsis; clostridioides difficile; respiratory tract infections; bacterial infections; viral infections; arboviral disease; hospital aquired infections; bone and joint infection; surgical site infections
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The dynamics of infectious diseases are constantly evolving, presenting ongoing challenges to the global health community. Rapid action and collaborative efforts are essential to address these challenges effectively. This Special Issue aims to foster a multidisciplinary dialogue on the complexities and emerging strategies in the management of infectious diseases, particularly those caused by bacteria.

The focus of this Special Issue will be on the following topics:

  1. Clostridioides difficile infections: despite the availability of a few effective treatments, including fecal microbiota transplantation, the management of C. difficile remains a significant challenge.
  2. Complexity of bacterial infections: this issue seeks to explore the intricate nature of bacterial infections, especially those that are multi-drug resistant or pan-resistant. The impact of medical devices and biofilms on the treatment and eradication of these pathogens will also be examined.
  3. Healthcare-associated infections: given their extensive impact, submissions addressing the broad implications and management strategies of healthcare-associated infections are encouraged.
  4. Infections in immunocompromised patients: we aim to enhance the understanding of the unique challenges faced when treating infections in immunocompromised hosts, whose conditions are often exacerbated by unpredictable etiologies and disease courses.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Epidemiology of bacterial infections;
- Clinical manifestations and pathogenesis of infectious diseases;
- Innovative treatment modalities and prognosis;
- Prevention strategies for bacterial infections;
- Re-emerging bacterial infections;
- Biofilm-related infections and their management;
- Advances in combating antibiotic resistance;
- Novel therapeutic approaches and methodologies.

Submission Types:

We welcome original research articles, comprehensive review articles, insightful case reports, and brief communications that shed light on recent advances and personal or institutional efforts in these areas. Opinions and perspective pieces that contribute to our understanding of these topics are also highly valued.

Submission Guidelines:

Authors are encouraged to share their experiences, research findings, and insights on the outlined topics. By pooling our collective knowledge and expertise, we aim to advance the understanding and management of infectious diseases significantly.

We eagerly anticipate your contributions and are excited to facilitate discussions that can lead to significant advancements in the field of infectious diseases.

Prof. Dr. Victoria Birlutiu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • epidemiology
  • infectious diseases
  • prevention strategies
  • bacterial infections
  • biofilm
  • antibiotic resistance

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  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2735 KiB  
Article
Combinatorial Effects of Ursodeoxycholic Acid and Antibiotic in Combating Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm: The Roles of ROS and Virulence Factors
by Anuradha Tyagi, Vinay Kumar, Navneet Joshi and Harish Kumar Dhingra
Microorganisms 2024, 12(10), 1956; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12101956 - 27 Sep 2024
Viewed by 711
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus is a biofilm-forming bacterium responsible for various human infections, one particularly challenging to treat due to its antibiotic resistance. Biofilms can form on both soft tissues and medical devices, leading to persistent and hard-to-treat infections. Combining multiple antimicrobials is a potential [...] Read more.
Staphylococcus aureus is a biofilm-forming bacterium responsible for various human infections, one particularly challenging to treat due to its antibiotic resistance. Biofilms can form on both soft tissues and medical devices, leading to persistent and hard-to-treat infections. Combining multiple antimicrobials is a potential approach to overcoming this resistance. This study explored the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) combined with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin against S. aureus biofilms, aiming to evaluate any synergistic effects. Results showed that UDCA and ciprofloxacin co-treatment significantly reduced biofilm formation and disrupted pre-formed biofilms more effectively than either agent alone (p < 0.01). The combination also displayed a slight synergistic effect, with a fractional inhibitory concentration of 0.65. Additionally, the treatment reduced the production of extracellular polymeric substances, increased reactive oxygen species production, decreased metabolic activity, altered cell membrane permeability, and lowered cell surface hydrophobicity in S. aureus. Furthermore, it diminished biofilm-associated pathogenic factors, including proteolytic activity and staphyloxanthin production. Overall, the UDCA–ciprofloxacin combination shows considerable promise as a strategy to combat infections related to staphylococcal biofilms, offering a potential solution to the healthcare challenges posed by antibiotic-resistant S. aureus. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Combating Bacterial Infections: Resistance, Treatment, and Prevention)
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12 pages, 2248 KiB  
Article
Differential Expression Analysis Reveals Possible New Quaternary Ammonium Compound Resistance Gene in Highly Resistant Serratia sp. HRI
by Samantha McCarlie, Charlotte Boucher-van Jaarsveld and Robert Bragg
Microorganisms 2024, 12(9), 1891; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12091891 - 13 Sep 2024
Viewed by 924
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the surge in disinfectant use emphasised their pivotal role in infection control. While the majority of antimicrobial resistance research focuses on antibiotics, resistance to biocides, which are present in disinfectants and sanitisers, is escalating. Serratia sp. HRI is a [...] Read more.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the surge in disinfectant use emphasised their pivotal role in infection control. While the majority of antimicrobial resistance research focuses on antibiotics, resistance to biocides, which are present in disinfectants and sanitisers, is escalating. Serratia sp. HRI is a highly resistant isolate, and through the study of this organism, the molecular mechanisms of resistance may be uncovered. Serratia sp. HRI was treated with the disinfectant benzalkonium chloride in preparation for RNA sequencing. Through mining of the RNA-Seq differential expression data, an uncharacterised Major Facilitator Superfamily (MFS) efflux pump gene was found to be up-regulated at least four-fold at four different time points of exposure. Real-time PCR revealed this uncharacterised MFS efflux gene was up-regulated after exposure to benzalkonium chloride and two additional disinfectants, didecyldimethylammonium chloride (DDAC) and VirukillTM. Additionally, expression of this gene was found to be higher at 20 min versus 90 min of exposure, indicating that the up-regulation of this gene is an initial response to biocide treatment that decreases over time. This suggests that MFS efflux pumps may be an initial survival mechanism for microorganisms, allowing time for longer-term resistance mechanisms. This work puts forward a novel biocide resistance gene that could have a major impact on biocide susceptibility and resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Combating Bacterial Infections: Resistance, Treatment, and Prevention)
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13 pages, 2151 KiB  
Article
Antimicrobial Peptide Identified via Machine Learning Presents Both Potent Antibacterial Properties and Low Toxicity toward Human Cells
by Qifei Wang, Junlin Yang, Malcolm Xing and Bingyun Li
Microorganisms 2024, 12(8), 1682; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12081682 - 15 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1125
Abstract
Preventing infection is a critical clinical challenge; however, the extensive use of antibiotics has resulted in remarkably increased antibiotic resistance. A variety of antibiotic alternatives including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been studied. Unfortunately, like most conventional antibiotics, most current AMPs have shown significantly [...] Read more.
Preventing infection is a critical clinical challenge; however, the extensive use of antibiotics has resulted in remarkably increased antibiotic resistance. A variety of antibiotic alternatives including antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been studied. Unfortunately, like most conventional antibiotics, most current AMPs have shown significantly high toxicity toward the host, and therefore induce compromised host responses that may lead to negative clinical outcomes such as delayed wound healing. In this study, one of the AMPs with a short length of nine amino acids was first identified via machine learning to present potentially low cytotoxicity, and then synthesized and validated in vitro against both bacteria and mammalian cells. It was found that this short AMP presented strong and fast-acting antimicrobial properties against bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, one of the most common bacteria clinically, and it targeted and depolarized bacterial membranes. This AMP also demonstrated significantly lower (e.g., 30%) toxicity toward mammalian cells like osteoblasts, which are important cells for new bone formation, compared to conventional antibiotics like gentamicin, vancomycin, rifampin, cefazolin, and fusidic acid at short treatment times (e.g., 2 h). In addition, this short AMP demonstrated relatively low toxicity, similar to osteoblasts, toward an epithelial cell line like BEAS-2B cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Combating Bacterial Infections: Resistance, Treatment, and Prevention)
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Review

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17 pages, 1642 KiB  
Review
Optimizing Diagnosis and Management of Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A Systematic Evaluation of Biofilm Detection Methods and Bacterial Colonization on Endotracheal Tubes
by Ioana Roxana Codru, Bogdan Ioan Vintilă, Mihai Sava, Alina Simona Bereanu, Sandra Ioana Neamțu, Raluca Maria Bădilă and Victoria Bîrluțiu
Microorganisms 2024, 12(10), 1966; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12101966 - 28 Sep 2024
Viewed by 890
Abstract
Healthcare-associated infections, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and biofilm formation on intubation cannulas, impose significant burdens on hospitals, affecting staffing, finances, and patient wellbeing, while also increasing the risk of patient mortality. We propose a research study aimed at exploring various methodologies for detecting [...] Read more.
Healthcare-associated infections, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and biofilm formation on intubation cannulas, impose significant burdens on hospitals, affecting staffing, finances, and patient wellbeing, while also increasing the risk of patient mortality. We propose a research study aimed at exploring various methodologies for detecting these infections, discovered in the biofilm on medical devices, particularly tracheal cannulas, and understanding the role of each method in comprehending these infections from an etiological perspective. Our investigation also involves an analysis of the types of endotracheal tubes utilized in each case, the bacteria species identified, and strategies for combating biofilm-associated infections. The potential impact of our research is the substantial improvement of patient care through enhanced diagnosis and management of these infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Combating Bacterial Infections: Resistance, Treatment, and Prevention)
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