Bacterial Pathogens
A section of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).
Section Information
Bacteria are ubiquitous in nature, with only a fraction able to cause infection and disease in plants, animals, or humans. But what defines a pathogen? Bacterial species dominate the microbial world, existing in a wide range of environments, from soil, aquatic, or extreme habitats to animal and arthropod hosts. When present in the microbiome, bacteria provide essential metabolites, compete with other microbes, communicate with the immune system, and promote health. Yet, virtually any bacterial species has the capacity to exist as a pathogen and associate with disease.
Research on bacterial pathogenesis aims to unravel the molecular and cellular mechanisms that induce or enable a disease state. This includes the study of toxins, secreted proteins, enzymes, surface proteins, and biofilms that help bacteria adhere to and invade host tissues, as well as subvert inflammation and immune cell function. The Bacterial Pathogens Section welcomes all submissions exploring the interactions between bacteria, their hosts, and the environment that culminate in infection or immunity. We especially welcome original or review articles that investigate the molecular and cellular interactions that drive virulence and evasion of immunity or explore the evolution of virulence and multi-drug resistance and the factors that lead to emerging and re-emerging outbreaks of bacterial diseases. We also welcome investigations into vaccines and treatments against bacterial diseases and attempts at understanding the prevalence of pathogens and drug resistance in the environment.
Editorial Board
Topical Advisory Panel
Special Issues
Following special issues within this section are currently open for submissions:
- Emerging Antibiotic Resistance in Nosocomial Pathogens: Current Trends and Future Directions (Deadline: 30 May 2026)
- Pathogenesis and Treatment of Non-Tuberculous Mycobacterial Infections (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Therapeutic Strategies for Mycobacterium Infections: Novel Drug Development (Deadline: 31 May 2026)
- Pathogenesis, Antibiotic Resistance, and Host Immune Responses to Bacterial Infections (Deadline: 10 June 2026)
- Updates in Infective Endocarditis—2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Recent Advances in Nontuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM)—2nd Edition (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- From Whisper to Resistance: Bacterial Dialogues Behind Biofilm (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Genomic Epidemiology & Drug Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Advances in Salmonella Epidemiology and Pathogenesis (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Acinetobacter baumannii: An Emerging Pathogen (Deadline: 30 June 2026)
- Zoonotic Salmonella Infections: Transmission Dynamics and Control (Deadline: 10 July 2026)
- Current Research on Bacillus anthracis Infection (Deadline: 20 July 2026)
- Advances in Rapid Detection and Quantification of Campylobacter in Food Safety (Deadline: 20 July 2026)
- Antimicrobial Resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae (Deadline: 31 July 2026)
- Pathogenic Escherichia coli: Mechanisms of Virulence, Antimicrobial Resistance and Public Health Implications (Deadline: 10 August 2026)
- Advanced Antimicrobial Agents: Combatting Multi-Drug Resistant Bacterial Infections (Deadline: 20 August 2026)
- Thinking Inside the Host: Strategies of Facultative Intracellular Bacteria (Deadline: 25 August 2026)
- Innovative Strategies Against Resistant Bacterial Infections: Bacteriophage Therapy (Deadline: 1 September 2026)
- Virulence and Resistance Mechanisms in Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria: 2nd Edition (Deadline: 10 September 2026)
- Antibiotic Resistance and Survival Strategies in Pathogens (Deadline: 25 September 2026)
- Drug Resistant Pathogens: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Global Health Implications (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Dairy Cattle Health: Mastitis, Milk Quality, and Antimicrobial Resistance from a One Health Perspective (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Nosocomial Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance: Challenges and Solutions (Deadline: 30 September 2026)
- Bacterial Pathogens and Antibiotics in Gut and Environmental Microbiomes (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Disrupting Bacterial Biofilms: Recent Progress and Novel Strategies to Address Persistent Infections (Deadline: 31 October 2026)
- Thinking Out-of-the-Box: Innovative Approaches for the Treatment of Biofilm-Related Infections (Deadline: 10 November 2026)
- Urinary Tract Pathogen Infections: Multidrug Resistance and Clinical Management (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Diagnostics, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Emerging Bacterial Pathogens (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Invasive Escherichia coli Infections: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Antimicrobial Resistance, Public Health and Microbiome Interventions (Deadline: 31 December 2026)
- Animal Tuberculosis Caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex: Epidemiology, Diagnostic Methods, and Multi-Species Case Analysis (Deadline: 30 January 2027)
Topical Collection
Following topical collection within this section is currently open for submissions:
