Bacterial Extracellular Vesicles: Vehicles for Pathogenesis and Antibiotic Resistance
A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanism and Evolution of Antibiotic Resistance".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 71
Special Issue Editor
Interests: lyme disease; spirochetes; infection; biofilm; persisters; antibiotic resistance; connection of cancer to bacterial infections
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Recent research has revealed that bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) play a central role in intercellular communication by transporting proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and other bioactive molecules. These vesicles are now recognized as important mediators in a range of physiological and pathological processes, including immune modulation, inflammation, cancer progression, tissue repair, and angiogenesis.
Importantly, BEVs have also been implicated in the development and dissemination of antibiotic resistance. They can carry resistance genes and enzymes such as β-lactamases, facilitate horizontal gene transfer, and influence bacterial adaptation under antibiotic stress. This highlights their potential not only as key players in resistance mechanisms but also as possible targets for novel therapeutic interventions.
This Special Issue will provide a comprehensive overview of our current understanding of bacterial extracellular vesicles, with a focus on their roles in pathogenesis and antimicrobial resistance. We welcome contributions that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Mechanisms behind BEV formation, release, and regulation;
- BEV involvement in host–pathogen interactions;
- Roles of BEVs in horizontal gene transfer and resistance gene dissemination;
- BEVs as carriers of antibiotic resistance determinants;
- The impact of BEVs on microbial survival and adaptation under antibiotic pressure;
- The diagnostic and therapeutic potential of BEVs in infectious diseases;
- Novel approaches to targeting or engineering BEVs for antimicrobial applications;
- Methodologies for isolating, characterizing, and analyzing BEVs;
- Comprehensive reviews on BEV biology and clinical relevance.
For this Special Issue, we welcome manuscript submissions of various types, such as original research articles, short communications, comprehensive reviews, case reports, and perspectives.
Prof. Dr. Eva Sapi
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. 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
- bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs)
- outer membrane vesicles (OMVs)
- antibiotic resistance
- pathogenesis
- host-pathogen interaction
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