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Biomedicines
Special Issues
Mechanisms, Implications, and Therapeutic Targets in Infectious Diseases
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Mechanisms, Implications, and Therapeutic Targets in Infectious Diseases

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Immunology and Immunotherapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 2576

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mihai Lazăr

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Clinical Department 2, Division of Physiopathology II, Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, RO-020021 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: Infectious diseases; pathophysiology; endocrinology & metabolism; developmental biology.
Dr. Oana Săndulescu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Institute for Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Balș”, No. 1 Dr. Calistrat Grozovici Street, 021105 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: infectious diseases; HIV; viral hepatitis; biofilm; influenza; vaccine-preventable diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infectious diseases remain a significant global health challenge, exerting immense socioeconomic burdens and posing threats to public health infrastructures. Effective strategies for preventing, monitoring, and controlling infectious diseases can be developed by examining their epidemiology, transmission dynamics, and associated risk factors. Pathogens employ various strategies to evade host defenses and establish infection, including immune evasion, antigenic variation, and the manipulation of host cellular processes. Identifying therapeutic targets within the complex network of host–pathogen interactions may lead to the development of new treatments and interventions, such as antimicrobial drugs, immunotherapies, and vaccines. A multidisciplinary approach is necessary in understanding how pathogens invade, replicate, and interact with host cells, tissues, and immune responses. This is crucial for unraveling the complexities of infectious diseases, ranging from common infections to novel microorganisms.

Furthermore, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance poses a formidable challenge, rendering conventional treatments ineffective and exacerbating the burden of infectious diseases. Addressing these implications necessitates a multifaceted approach, encompassing surveillance, prevention, and treatment strategies tailored to specific pathogens and contexts.

This Special Issue welcomes high-quality original research and review articles concerning viral, bacterial, and fungal infections, contributing to a better understanding, diagnosis, and therapeutic management of infectious diseases.

Dr. Mihai Lazăr
Dr. Oana Săndulescu
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 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. Biomedicines 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 2600 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

  • infectious diseases
  • virus
  • antibiotics
  • pathophysiology
  • molecular mechanism
  • therapeutic management

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2364 KiB  
Article
Bacterial Diversity in Native Heart Valves in Infective Endocarditis
by Anna Sinitskaya, Alexander Kostyunin, Maxim Asanov, Maria Khutornaya, Anastasia Klyueva, Alyona Poddubnyak, Alexey Tupikin, Marsel Kabilov and Maxim Sinitsky
Biomedicines 2025, 13(1), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13010245 - 20 Jan 2025
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Abstract
Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infectious disease caused by the hematogenous dissemination of bacteria into heart valves. Improving the identification of pathogens that cause IE is important to increase the effectiveness of its therapy and reduce the mortality caused by this pathology. [...] Read more.
Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) is an infectious disease caused by the hematogenous dissemination of bacteria into heart valves. Improving the identification of pathogens that cause IE is important to increase the effectiveness of its therapy and reduce the mortality caused by this pathology. Methods: Ten native heart valves obtained from IE patients undergoing heart valve replacements were analyzed. Bacterial invasion in the heart valves was studied by Gram staining of histological sections. Histopathological changes accompanied with bacterial invasion were studied by immunohistochemical analysis of pan-leukocyte marker CD45, platelet marker CD41, and neutrophil myeloperoxidase. The taxonomic diversity of the bacteria was analyzed using 16S rRNA metabarcoding. Results: Gram staining of the histological sections revealed bacterial cells localized on the atrial surface at the leaflet’s free edge or on the ventricular surface at the leaflet’s base within fibrin deposits in only three of the studied heart valves. Bacterial colonies were co-localized with microthrombi (CD41+ cells) containing single leucocytes (CD45+ cells), represented by segmented neutrophils. As a result of 16S rRNA metabarcoding, we detected the following bacterial genera: Pseudomonas (70% of the studied heart valves), Roseateles (60%), Acinetobacter (40%), Sphingomonas (40%), Enterococcus (30%), Reyranella (20%), Sphingobium (20%), Streptococcus (20%), Agrobacterium (20%), Ralstonia (10%), and Bacillus (10%). Conclusions: A number of opportunistic microorganisms that could not be detected by routine laboratory tests and were not eliminated during antibiotic therapy were identified in the IE-affected heart valves. The obtained results show the importance of 16S rRNA metabarcoding of heart valves removed due to IE not only as an independent diagnostic method but also as a highly accurate approach that complements routine tests for pathogen identification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms, Implications, and Therapeutic Targets in Infectious Diseases)
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Review

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23 pages, 410 KiB  
Review
Passive Immunisation in the Treatment of Infectious Diseases Related to Highly Potent Bacterial Toxins
by Marta Prygiel, Ewa Mosiej, Karol Wdowiak and Aleksandra Anna Zasada
Biomedicines 2024, 12(12), 2920; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12122920 - 23 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1057
Abstract
The discovery of microbial toxins as the primary factors responsible for disease manifestations and the discovery that these toxins could be neutralised by antitoxins are linked to the birth of immunology. In the late 19th century, the serum or plasma of animals or [...] Read more.
The discovery of microbial toxins as the primary factors responsible for disease manifestations and the discovery that these toxins could be neutralised by antitoxins are linked to the birth of immunology. In the late 19th century, the serum or plasma of animals or patients who had recovered from infectious diseases or who had been immunised with a relevant antigen began to be used to treat or prevent infections. Before the advent of widespread vaccination campaigns, antitoxins played a key role in the treatment and prevention of diseases such as diphtheria and tetanus. A significant reduction in mortality following the introduction of antitoxins confirmed their efficacy. Serum therapy remains an important measure for post-exposure prophylaxis and for the treatment of unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated patients. For the botulinum toxin, antitoxin therapy continues to be the sole available treatment. The manuscript contains a summary of the most important information on the passive immunoprophylaxis used in the treatment of diphtheria, tetanus, and botulism, all representing diseases in which symptoms are driven by the activity of highly potent bacterial toxins. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms, Implications, and Therapeutic Targets in Infectious Diseases)
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