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Diagnostics
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Medical Microbiology and Infection: Diagnosis and Management
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Medical Microbiology and Infection: Diagnosis and Management

A Special Issue of Diagnostics (ISSN 2075-4418) belonging to the section "Diagnostic Microbiology and Infectious Disease".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1070

Editor

Dr. Hsinyao Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Microbiology and Infection Diagnostics, Bruker Scientific, Billerica, MA, USA
Interests: medical microbiology and infection; laboratory medicine; medical AI; translational medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Medical microbiology plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and comprehensive management of infectious diseases, supporting effective patient care, antimicrobial stewardship, and public health responses.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the diagnosis and management of infectious diseases, with a particular emphasis on integrating microbiological diagnostics with diverse therapeutic and supportive approaches. Topics of interest include innovative diagnostic technologies, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, laboratory automation, and artificial intelligence-assisted decision support, as well as non‑antibiotic management strategies. Studies addressing combined diagnostic–management workflows and their clinical impact are especially encouraged.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and comprehensive reviews are welcome, covering methodological, translational, and clinical perspectives within the scope of Diagnostics. We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Dr. Hsinyao Wang
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 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. Diagnostics 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 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

  • medical microbiology
  • infectious diseases
  • diagnostic microbiology
  • infection management
  • antimicrobial susceptibility testing
  • non‑antibiotic therapies
  • clinical microbiology
  • diagnostic innovation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 4404 KB  
Article
Molecular Characterization and Genetic Diversity of Helicobacter pylori bab Adhesin Gene Variants: Clinicopathological Associations
by Mohammad S. Al Ma’aqbeh, Hala I. Al-Daghistani and Talal S. Al-Qaisi
Diagnostics 2026, 16(18), 3040; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16183040 (registering DOI) - 19 Sep 2026
Abstract
Background: Helicobacter pylori colonizes the human gastric mucosa through outer membrane proteins (OMPs), particularly the adhesins BabA and BabB, which recognize host blood group antigens and mediate bacterial attachment and persistent colonization; importantly, structural and genetic studies have confirmed substantial polymorphisms in [...] Read more.
Background: Helicobacter pylori colonizes the human gastric mucosa through outer membrane proteins (OMPs), particularly the adhesins BabA and BabB, which recognize host blood group antigens and mediate bacterial attachment and persistent colonization; importantly, structural and genetic studies have confirmed substantial polymorphisms in these adhesins that may affect their functional properties and contribute to differences in the clinical outcomes of infection. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the prevalence and genetic diversity of babA/babB variants in H. pylori isolates obtained from Jordanian patients and to evaluate their association with different gastric pathological conditions. Methods: A total of 106 gastric mucosal biopsies were collected from patients with gastric symptoms at two major hospitals in Jordan. Specimens underwent endoscopic evaluation, rapid urease testing (RUT), and histopathological examination according to the Sydney classification system. H. pylori detection was performed using real-time PCR targeting 16S rRNA and universal bab genes using novel primers designed to amplify both babA and babB variants. Conventional PCR was used for specific BabA and BabB gene amplification, followed by sequencing analysis of BabB variants. Results: A total of 106 patients were enrolled, with a mean age of 40.2 ± 15.9 years. H. pylori was detected in 76 (71.7%), 83 (78.3%), and 79 (74.5%) cases by the Rapid Urease Test (RUT), histopathology, and 16S rRNA qPCR, respectively. Using histopathology as the reference method, 16S rRNA qPCR demonstrated a sensitivity of 95.2%, compared with 91.6% for RUT. Among the 83 histopathology-positive cases, the universal bab gene was detected in 72 (86.7%), of which 53/72 (73.6%) were positive according to babB-specific PCR. Among patients with chronic gastritis, universal bab positivity increased progressively from 82.5% in mild to 88.5% in moderate and 93.3% in severe gastritis, whereas babB positivity increased from 50.0% to 76.9% and 80.0%, respectively. Sequencing of 40 babB-positive samples identified 27 distinct babB sequence profiles, with CHI-023 and LIM-008 being the most frequently identified reference sequence matches (10.0% each), highlighting substantial genetic diversity within the analyzed babB region. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate high diagnostic performance of 16S rRNA qPCR and RUT relative to histopathology, together with substantial genetic diversity within the analyzed babB region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Microbiology and Infection: Diagnosis and Management)
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17 pages, 1098 KB  
Article
CALLY Index and Inflammatory Parameters for Predicting Focal Involvement in Human Brucellosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study
by Mehmet Ali Tüz, Yeşim Çağlar, Enes Dalmanoğlu, Rukiye İnan Sarıkaya, Derya Tuna Ecer and İrem Tataroğlu
Diagnostics 2026, 16(16), 2607; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16162607 - 17 Aug 2026
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Abstract
Background: Focal involvement in brucellosis complicates clinical management and increases treatment failure risk. This study evaluated the predictive value of routine inflammatory markers and, for the first time, the C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index for predicting focal complications. Methods: A retrospective cohort study conducted [...] Read more.
Background: Focal involvement in brucellosis complicates clinical management and increases treatment failure risk. This study evaluated the predictive value of routine inflammatory markers and, for the first time, the C-reactive protein-albumin-lymphocyte (CALLY) index for predicting focal complications. Methods: A retrospective cohort study conducted between February 2016 and January 2026 included 203 brucellosis patients, categorized into “no focal involvement” (n = 114) and “focal involvement” (n = 89) groups. Admission blood count parameters, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and CALLY index were compared using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, DeLong tests, and multivariate logistic regression models incorporating CRP, albumin, CALLY index, ESR, hemoglobin, MPV, age, and gender. Results: Patients with focal involvement were older (p = 0.029) and exhibited higher ESR, CRP, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte, and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratios but lower hemoglobin, mean platelet volume, albumin, and CALLY index (p < 0.001). ROC analysis showed ESR had the highest predictive value (AUC: 0.839), followed by albumin (AUC: 0.751) and the CALLY index (AUC: 0.728). DeLong tests confirmed ESR’s statistical superiority over the CALLY index (p = 0.002) and albumin (p = 0.016). In multivariate regression, ESR remained a robust independent prognostic factor (OR: 1.042, p < 0.001), whereas the CALLY index lacked independent significance. Conclusions: Despite its theoretical appeal as a novel immuno-nutritional biomarker, the CALLY index does not outperform traditional markers in predicting focal complications of brucellosis at initial presentation. ESR remains a robust, inexpensive, and statistically superior independent predictor. These findings emphasize that clinicians should continue to rely on widely accessible traditional markers like ESR for early diagnostic risk stratification, while the potential utility of composite scores like the CALLY index may be better reserved for monitoring dynamic therapeutic responses and managing chronic cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Microbiology and Infection: Diagnosis and Management)
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14 pages, 11471 KB  
Article
Accurately Identifying Staphylococcus argenteus Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry
by Jia-Ruei Yu, Kai-Wei Huang, Jwu-Ching Shu, Mao-Cheng Ge, Lee-Chung Lin, Tzong-Shi Chiueh, Chih-Pei Lin and Jang-Jih Lu
Diagnostics 2026, 16(15), 2422; https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics16152422 - 31 Jul 2026
Viewed by 369
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Staphylococcus argenteus is a recently recognized member of the Staphylococcus aureus complex that is almost identical to S. aureus phenotypically and by 16S rRNA gene sequences. Although genomic analyses demonstrate that S. argenteus is phylogenetically distinct from S. aureus, the [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Staphylococcus argenteus is a recently recognized member of the Staphylococcus aureus complex that is almost identical to S. aureus phenotypically and by 16S rRNA gene sequences. Although genomic analyses demonstrate that S. argenteus is phylogenetically distinct from S. aureus, the two species exhibit more than 90% nucleotide identity and routine identification methods—including routine biochemical assays and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS)—cannot reliably distinguish between the two. We develop and validate a MALDI-TOF MS-based model for accurate identification of S. argenteus. Methods: A multiplex PCR assay targeting crtM and NRPS genes served as the reference standard. MALDI-TOF MS spectra from 25 S. argenteus and 25 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) isolates were analyzed using ClinProTools to identify characteristic peaks and develop the identification model. The model was validated using 40 S. argenteus and 80 MSSA isolates, then applied to 130 randomly selected clinical isolates. Results: Five characteristic peaks—m/z values 5005, 5285, 5323, 6440, and 6526—were identified. Isolates exhibiting at least 4 of these 5 peaks were classified as S. argenteus; those exhibiting fewer than 4 were classified as S. aureus. The model achieved 100% specificity and 100% sensitivity in both the development and validation phases. In the clinical application phase, the model correctly classified all isolates, whereas conventional MALDI-TOF MS yielded several misidentifications. Conclusions: The identification model, and the simple peak-based rule it is based on, can accurately distinguish S. argenteus from MSSA, offering a practical diagnostic tool for clinical microbiology laboratories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Medical Microbiology and Infection: Diagnosis and Management)
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