Bacteriophages as Precision Tools for Microbiome Modulation
A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: bacteriophages in food industry; foodborne bacterial pathogens; food preservation; dysbiosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: non-conventional yeast; Rhodotorula; yeast lipids biosynthesis; SCO; exopolysaccharides biosynthesis; biodiesel; SCP; waste valorization; bioreactors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: gut microbiota; gut micro-biota-host interactions; food safety; antibiotic resistance; phagobiotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Microbiomes play a fundamental role in maintaining the health and stability of their hosts, from humans and animals to plants. There is a growing interest in identifying precise and sustainable methods for selectively modulating microbial communities. Bacteriophages—viruses that specifically infect bacteria—are emerging as promising bio-control agents and phagobiotics capable of shaping microbiome composition and function across diverse ecosystems.
This Special Issue focuses on the ecological, molecular, and immunological aspects of phage–microbiome interactions. We invite research and review articles exploring the role of endogenous phages (the phageome) in maintaining homeostasis, regulating microbiome stability, and influencing host immunity. Relevant topics include prophage induction and its contribution to dysbiosis, phage-mediated interbacterial dynamics, and the cascading effects on microbial diversity. In particular, we welcome studies addressing phage applications in animals, plants, and humans, including their immunomodulatory potential and use as targeted biopreparations or supplements.
Moreover, we encourage submissions employing bioinformatics and computational approaches to analyze phage and microbiome interactions, including metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and systems biology analyses. Such tools are invaluable for uncovering the diversity, evolutionary relationships, and functional potential of phages within complex microbial ecosystems, and for modeling their impact on host physiology and ecological networks.
A comprehensive understanding of phage–bacteria–host interactions across different biological systems will be essential for developing next-generation phage-based tools to promote health, resilience, and ecological balance.
We look forward to your contributions.
You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Viruses.
Dr. Michał Wójcicki
Dr. Iwona Gientka
Dr. Paulina Średnicka
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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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. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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
- bacteriophages
- microbiome
- phageome
- phagobiotics
- gut microbiota
- phage-host interactions
- prophage induction
- immunomodulation
- dysbiosis
- host immunity
- phage therapy
- bioinformatics
- metagenomics
- systems biology
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