Environmental Hotspots and Drivers of Antimicrobial Resistance

Dear Colleagues,

Antibiotic resistance is a global menace for public health with different players within the One Health context. Multiple drivers have promoted the selection and/or spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their genes among humans, animals, and the environment by multiple transmission pathways. Among them are antibiotics, biocides, metals, and other pollutants present in different settings, as well as insufficient hygiene practices in food-animal production or healthcare units. The application of genomics and metagenomics to antibiotic resistance research has been a key strategy to decipher the main players (clones, genetic elements) involved in bacterial evolution and in the interconnection among microbiota from overlapping ecosystems contributing to this menace. However, a lot is yet to be discovered. This Special Issue of “Environmental hotspots and drivers for Antimicrobial Resistance” will highlight research findings that cover topics centering on antibiotic resistance and the diverse environmental contexts contributing to it. The following topics (among others) will be considered:

• Environmental hotspots of antibiotic resistance;
• Drivers of selection, persistence, and horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance (e.g. biocide and heavy metal tolerance) present in diverse environments;
• Whole-genome and metagenomic studies on microbial populations, clones, and mobile genetic elements; associated with antimicrobial resistance (e.g., antibiotics, biocide, heavy metals) from diverse environments.
• Antibiotic resistance evolution in environmental contexts;
• Methodological tools and novel approaches to better detect antibiotic resistance in the environment.

This topic fits with the scope of Antibiotics within the fields of microbiology and genetics. Within the scope list presented by “Antibiotics”, manuscripts in the following topics can be submitted to this Special Issue:

• uses of antibiotics, including on animals and in agriculture;
• new methods for assaying and evaluating antibiotics;
• classes of antibiotics;
• antibiotic resistance and misuse;
• epidemiology of antimicrobial use;
• antimicrobial stewardship;
• qualitative and quantitative research exploring the determinants of antimicrobial use and resistance.

Dr. Carla Novais
Dr. Patrícia Antunes
Dr. Ana R. Freitas
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-anonymized 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.