Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria and Strategies for Antibiotic Resistance Mitigation

Dear Colleagues,

Antimicrobial resistance is a major threat challenging human advancement in this century, and has emerged as a global issue negatively affecting health, food security, and development. Historically, the discovery of different classes of antibiotics had a tremendous impact on the treatment, control, and prevention of diseases in humans and animals. While the use of antibiotics in food animals has improved intestinal health, reduced disease, and alleviated reproductive problems, the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens and their potential transmission to humans have restricted their applications in production. In recent years, several drug-resistant pathogens have been implicated as etiological agents of human disease, including those contributing significantly to the burden of foodborne disease. Consequentially, significant changes and adjustments in production practices have been introduced in an otherwise organized production setting where antibiotics were successfully relied upon to obtain optimal production. In response to the mounting evidence connecting antibiotic use in food animals and human health risks, the establishment of strict requirements for the distribution and use of clinically relevant antibiotics, and animal feeds or water containing such drugs, have resulted. Given the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of pathogens in the food chain, there has been a growing interest in identifying solutions addressing such concerns. Preventing and limiting the spread of multidrug-resistant infections and discovering and evaluating alternatives to antibiotics and similar mitigation approaches are potential ways to handle this problem. The development of improved diagnostic tests, understanding transmission mechanisms, and introducing targeted education and outreach programs could help. This Special Issue will be a collection of research articles, reviews, and short communications of advances in scientific research and programs in the areas mentioned above intended to address problems associated with antibiotic resistance development.

Prof. Dr. Anup Kollanoor Johny
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.

• antimicrobial resistance
• food animals
• agriculture
• poultry
• alternatives
• diagnostic tools
• mechanisms of transmission
• education
• outreach
• food animal/poultry–human interface
• environment
• resistome
• microbiome
• metabolome
• stewardship
• mitigation
• wildlife