Microbial Ecology and Health Risk in Human Activity Sites

Dear Colleagues,

Microorganisms are an integral part of the environment. They fulfil many key functions responsible for the ecological stability of ecosystems. However, the ecology of microorganisms is heavily determined by anthropogenic activity. Rapidly increasing anthropopressure leads to the modification of entire ecosystems, which in turn affects the functioning of microorganisms. As a result, the natural values of these ecosystems can be considerably reduced. Human activity may negatively affect environmental health, but it can also be seen in public spaces. This happens because it has an enormous impact on the epidemiological safety and microbiological quality of all types of environments (water, soil, air). Constantly developing industry and agriculture, together with rapid urbanization, lead to xenobiotic contamination, followed by the decline in microbiodiversity, the emergence of sanitary risks, the acquisition of antibiotic resistance, and many other problems. Therefore, there is a need for a constant updating of our knowledge of human impacts on microbiological processes observed in the natural environment and the possibilities of counteracting the negative consequences of anthropopressure.

This Special Issue on "Microbial Ecology and Health Risk in Human Activity Sites" in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is aimed at drawing attention to the human impact on microbial ecology and the resulting health consequences. We invite all researchers in this field to submit their unpublished manuscripts on the subject. 

Dr. Łukasz Kubera
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-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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.