ESKAPE Pathogens: Antimicrobial Resistance, Genomics and Virulence Mechanisms

Dear Colleagues,

The ESKAPE acronym describes the pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter species) that are the leading cause of nosocomial infections throughout the world, representing paradigms of antimicrobial resistance, pathogenesis and transmission. The rapid control of such infections is of the utmost importance, particularly in the nosocomial setting, since such infections are associated with devasting levels of patient morbidity and mortality. Additionally, increased the antibiotic use in response to infections caused by ESKAPE pathogens threatens the lifespan of these antibiotics. The recent advent of more affordable and rapid whole genome sequencing technologies has meant that we now have the ability and tools to study and track infections caused by a bacterium, or mediated by plasmid transmission, in greater detail than ever.

This Special Issue seeks manuscript submissions that further our understanding of antimicrobial resistance, virulence and epidemiology in the ESKAPE pathogens. Particularly we are seeking manuscripts in the following areas:

1. Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance arising both during patient therapy and in an in vitro setting, particularly to newer antimicrobials or antimicrobial combinations.
2. Nosocomial outbreaks caused by ESKAPE pathogens and management/treatment.
3. New and/or novel drug combinations designed to combat infections caused by ESKAPE pathogens.
4. The complex relationship between virulence, transmissibility and resistance in successful pathogens.
5. The impact of successful clones and/or plasmids.

Additionally, any manuscripts relating to other ESKAPE areas of interest are welcome.

Dr. Jacqueline Findlay
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.

• antimicrobial resistance
• virulence
• pathogenicity
• plasmid
• nosocomial
• outbreak
• clones
• transmission
• beta-lactamase