Emerging Infectious Diseases and Multidrug Resistance

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 1351

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Microbiological Diagnostic Unit Public Health Laboratory, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Interests: emerging infectious disease; infectious disease; animal diseases; bacterial infection

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases is a global threat. We cannot look beyond COVID-19 as a classic example of a virus-jumping species having a catastrophic impact on an immunologically naïve host population (Homo sapiens). The risk of these cross-species transmission events is increasing in a world dealing with climate change and changing associations between hosts. Of equal concern is global interconnection, raising the prospect of rapid, global spread of some emerging and re-emerging diseases.

Just as the management of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is seen as a problem that requires not only input from every nation but also cross-sector cooperation (i.e., across human health, animal health, and the environment), emerging infectious diseases require similar engagement, underscoring the importance of developing a global view of One Health now and into the future.

We invite you to submit articles on the epidemiology, diagnosis, and relations between infectious pathogens and multidrug resistance, focusing on recent advances in the aforementioned fields. Original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: new pathogen identification; diagnosis and detection; outbreak investigation and management; infection prevention and control.

Dr. Dieter M. Bulach
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

  • emerging infectious diseases
  • re-emerging infectious diseases
  • epidemic-prone diseases
  • multidrug resistance
  • infection prevention
  • infection control

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • 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 (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 9730 KiB  
Article
Investigation of the Structure and Functional Activity of the YqeK Protein in Streptococcus pyogenes with High Efficiency in Hydrolyzing Ap4A
by Kai Yang, Suhua Hu, Yao Yao, Kaijie Li, Zunbao Wang, Xinyu Wang, Dan Ma, Mingfang Bi and Xiaobing Mo
Microorganisms 2025, 13(2), 230; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13020230 - 22 Jan 2025
Viewed by 502
Abstract
Streptococcus pyogenes is an important zoonotic Gram-positive bacterium that appears in chains, without spores or flagella, and belongs to the beta-hemolytic streptococci. It can be transmitted through droplets or contact, with the preferred antibiotics being penicillin, erythromycin, or cephalosporins. However, the misuse [...] Read more.
Streptococcus pyogenes is an important zoonotic Gram-positive bacterium that appears in chains, without spores or flagella, and belongs to the beta-hemolytic streptococci. It can be transmitted through droplets or contact, with the preferred antibiotics being penicillin, erythromycin, or cephalosporins. However, the misuse of these drugs has led to antibiotic resistance, posing a significant threat to both human and animal health. Studying resistance genes encoding proteins is crucial for mitigating the emergence of resistant strains and improving treatment outcomes. Interestingly, a dinucleotide known as diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) exists in Streptococcus pyogenes; its accumulation in response to various stress signals can inhibit bacterial pathogenicity and enhance antibiotic susceptibility. Our research focuses on the Sp-yqeK protein, which we have identified as a hydrolase that symmetrically cleaves Ap4A. The Sp-yqeK protein effectively cleaves Ap4A, producing adenosine diphosphate (ADP) molecules. Results indicate that this enzyme exhibits optimal activity at pH 7.0 and a temperature of 45 °C. Furthermore, we determined the crystal structure of the Sp-yqeK, Mg2+, and ADP complex at a resolution of 2.0 Å, providing insights into the interactions crucial for catalytic efficiency between Sp-yqeK and ADP. This complex reveals unique folding characteristics of the HD domain superfamily proteins, accommodating both ADP and Mg2+. These components are securely embedded into the polar cavity of the yqeK protein through conserved residues (His29, Lys62, His91, His117, Asp135, Leu172, Phe180, and Thr183), highlighting the residues responsible for Ap4A hydrolysis and Mg2+ binding. Our research offers a deeper understanding of the hydrolysis mechanism of Ap4A and the specificity of Sp-yqeK, providing structural insights that may support future studies on antibiotic resistance in Streptococcus pyogenes and other Gram-positive bacteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Infectious Diseases and Multidrug Resistance)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 392 KiB  
Article
The First Report of mcr-1-Carrying Escherichia coli, Isolated from a Clinical Sample in the North-East of Romania
by Mădălina-Alexandra Vlad, Brîndușa-Elena Lixandru, Andrei-Alexandru Muntean, Irina Trandafir, Cătălina Luncă and Cristina Tuchiluş
Microorganisms 2024, 12(12), 2461; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12122461 - 29 Nov 2024
Viewed by 619
Abstract
Colistin resistance poses a significant clinical challenge, particularly in Gram-negative bacteria. This study investigates the occurrence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance among Enterobacterales isolates (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterobacter spp.) and non-fermentative rods (Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). [...] Read more.
Colistin resistance poses a significant clinical challenge, particularly in Gram-negative bacteria. This study investigates the occurrence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance among Enterobacterales isolates (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Enterobacter spp.) and non-fermentative rods (Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). We analyzed 114 colistin-resistant isolates that were selected, based on resistance phenotypes, and isolated between 2019 and 2023. To achieve this, we used the rapid immunochromatographic test, NG-Test® MCR-1; multiplex PCR for mcr-1 to mcr-8, and real-time PCR for mcr-1 and mcr-2. One E. coli isolate was identified as carrying the mcr-1 gene, confirmed by NG-Test® MCR-1, multiplex PCR and whole-genome sequencing. This strain, belonging to ST69, harbored four plasmids, harboring different antimicrobial resistance genes, with mcr-1 being located on a 33,304 bp circular IncX4 plasmid. No mcr-2 to mcr-8-positive isolates were detected, prompting further investigation into alternative colistin resistance mechanisms. This is the first report of a mcr-1-positive, colistin-resistant E. coli isolated from a human clinical sample in the North-East of Romania. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Infectious Diseases and Multidrug Resistance)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop