Advances in Antimicrobial Action and Resistance

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 2327

Special Issue Editors


grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

E-Mail
Guest Editor
1. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Biomedical Diagnostic Center (CDB), Hospital Clinic, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
2. School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
3. Institute of Global Health of Barcelona (ISGlobal), Hospital Clínic-Universitat de Barcelona, 170, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: multidrug gram-negative bacteria; design new antibiotics; mechanisms of resistance; Acinetobacter baumannii

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemistry and Molecular Bioscience, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Interests: bacterial DNA replication; protein-protein interactions; protein-DNA interactions; enzymes; antibiotic drug discovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CNRS, Aix-Marseille University, Centrale Marseille, iSm2, 13013 Marseille, France
Interests: mycotoxins; fungal metabolites; antimicrobial; anticancer; antinflammatory; antioxidant
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will feature selected papers from the "Antibiotics 2026—Advances in Antimicrobial Action and Resistance (https://sciforum.net/event/Antibiotics2026)" conference. The conference will be held in Barcelona, Spain, from 11–14 May 2026, in a fully in-person format.

This conference aims to bring together researchers, industry professionals, and experts from around the world to share the latest advancements, exchange ideas, and foster collaboration in the field of antimicrobials, antimicrobial resistance, and innovative therapeutic strategies. It is structured into the following five sessions:

S1. Antimicrobial Resistance Mechanisms

S2. Antimicrobials, Antimicrobial Resistance, and One Health

S3. Ethnopharmacology in Antimicrobial Research and Treatment

S4. Conventional and Novel Approaches in the Discovery of New Antimicrobial Agents

S5. Innovation in Antimicrobial Stewardship and Optimized Clinical Strategies

Selected papers that attract the most interest online or provide a particularly innovative contribution will be selected for publication. These papers will be subjected to peer review and published with the aim of rapid and wide dissemination of research results, developments, and applications. We hope this conference Special Issue will continue to attract interest among potential participants, contributors, and experts in the field of antimicrobials, antimicrobial resistance, and innovative therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Manuel Simões
Prof. Dr. Jordi Vila
Prof. Dr. Nicholas Dixon
Dr. Marc Maresca
Guest Editors

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Antibiotics 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 2900 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

  • resistance
  • antibiotics
  • antimicrobials
  • one health
  • ethnopharmacology
  • stewardship
  • antimicrobial discovery
  • antimicrobial therapy
  • antimicrobial research

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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

Published Papers (1 paper)

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

Review

39 pages, 3662 KB  
Review
Membrane-Focused Strategies Against Acinetobacter baumannii: The Therapeutic Potential of Functional Copolymers
by Barbara Cardoso Domingues, Marc Maresca, Jean-Michel Bolla and Véronique Sinou
Antibiotics 2026, 15(4), 408; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15040408 - 17 Apr 2026
Viewed by 564
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a serious global public health concern, with Acinetobacter baumannii recognized as one of the most problematic multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. This Gram-negative bacterium is highly persistent in the environment, possesses a remarkably adaptable cell envelope, and forms biofilms. As the effectiveness [...] Read more.
Antimicrobial resistance is a serious global public health concern, with Acinetobacter baumannii recognized as one of the most problematic multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens. This Gram-negative bacterium is highly persistent in the environment, possesses a remarkably adaptable cell envelope, and forms biofilms. As the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics declines, alternative strategies are being actively explored, particularly membrane-targeting approaches based on synthetic copolymers. These compounds mimic antimicrobial peptides, offer enhanced stability and structural tunability, and have a lower propensity to develop resistance. Recent advances in polymer chemistry have led to the design of antibacterial polymers with activity against MDR A. baumannii. Some of these act synergistically with existing antibiotics, restoring bacterial susceptibility or disrupting biofilms. However, their non-degradability remains a concern due to its potential implications for body/environment accumulation and related toxicity and/or selection of resistant strains. This review examines the biology of the A. baumannii cell envelope, its resistance mechanisms, and treatment limitations, while emphasizing the promise of membrane-active copolymers. By bridging materials science and microbiology, these approaches offer promising strategies for combating World Health Organization priority pathogens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Action and Resistance)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop