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Advances in Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance Mechanisms

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1454

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Departamento de Inmunología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 11340, Mexico
Interests: antimicrobial activity; medicinal plants; synthetic compounds; bioguided evaluation; drug resistant mechanisms; immunology; infectious diseases; antimycobacterial compounds
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antimicrobial resistance is widely recognized as one of the most important public health threats of our time. Projections estimate that by 2050, nearly 10 million people may die due to the failure of existing treatments and the increasing spread of resistant pathogens.

Understanding the molecular mechanisms that confer antimicrobial resistance is essential for improving therapeutic strategies, preventing resistance emergence, and guiding the development of novel antimicrobial agents. Resistance mechanisms vary widely and may include impaired antibiotic uptake, enzymatic inactivation of antibiotic, alterations in drug targets due to genomic mutations, decreased microbial metabolism, and antibiotic expulsion via efflux pumps. These mechanisms may be intrinsic to microorganisms or acquired through extrachromosomal elements.

This Special Issue aims to present recent insights into the molecular basis of antimicrobial resistance. We welcome original research articles and comprehensive reviews that address advances in the understanding of resistance mechanisms, as well as the development and evaluation of innovative antimicrobial compounds.

Prof. Dr. Julieta Luna-Herrera
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • acquired resistance
  • antibiotic inactivation
  • antibiotic modifications
  • antibiotic uptake
  • antibiotics
  • antimicrobial agents
  • bacterial dormancy
  • efflux pumps
  • extrachromosomal elements
  • genomic mutations
  • novel antimicrobial molecules
  • resistant mechanisms

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 2336 KB  
Article
Genomic Characterization and Resistance Mechanisms of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae ST101 Isolates from Saudi Arabia
by Enaam K. Idrees, Manal M. Alkhulaifi, Marwh G. Aldriwesh, Nasser Alqurainy, Liliane Okdah, Abdulrahman A. Alswaji, Eisa T. Alrashidi, Alhanouf S. Alshahrani, Sameera M. Al Johani, MNGHA Surveillance Group, Hanan H. Balkhy and Majed F. Alghoribi
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(23), 11518; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262311518 - 27 Nov 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1143
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) represents a critical global health threat, with ST101 identified as a major circulating clone in Saudi Arabia. We used whole genome sequencing and plasmid reconstruction to investigate the molecular characteristics of CRKP ST101 isolates from Saudi Arabia (2018–2021), analyzing [...] Read more.
Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) represents a critical global health threat, with ST101 identified as a major circulating clone in Saudi Arabia. We used whole genome sequencing and plasmid reconstruction to investigate the molecular characteristics of CRKP ST101 isolates from Saudi Arabia (2018–2021), analyzing antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), virulence factors, and plasmid structure and replicon types. Clinical isolates were obtained from the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA) hospitals in Saudi Arabia between 2018 and 2021. Whole-genome sequencing was performed using the Illumina MiSeq® platform, followed by comprehensive bioinformatic analysis of ARGs, virulence factors, and plasmid content. All ten isolates belonged to ST101 and harbored extensive antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence determinants. Nine isolates (90%) carried blaOXA-48, with three co-harboring blaNDM-1, representing dual-carbapenemase producers. These carbapenemase genes were located on plasmids with distinct replicon types, including IncL/M, IncHI1B/IncFIB, and IncFIA/IncR. All isolates were multidrug-resistant (MDR), with half classified as extensively drug-resistant (XDR). Four isolates exhibited hypervirulent profiles, harboring aerobactin and yersiniabactin siderophores. This study provides comprehensive genomic characterization of CRKP ST101 in Saudi Arabia, revealing complex resistance mechanisms mediated by diverse plasmid types. The findings highlight the importance of genomic surveillance to track the evolution and dissemination of high-risk MDR and XDR lineages and inform targeted infection control strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance Mechanisms)
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