Beyond Antimicrobial Resistance: Molecular Mechanisms of Bacterial Survival Strategies and Next-Generation Therapeutic Approaches
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 5
Editor
Interests: antimicrobial resistance; heteroresistance; biofilm; persistence; antibiotics; antimicrobial therapies; resistome; mobilome; virulome; bacterial genomics; comparative genomics; mobile genetic elements; transposable elements; virulence factors; horizontal gene transfer; nanotechnologies; outer membrane vesicles; bacterial evolution
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The global crisis of antimicrobial therapy failure has long been primarily attributed to classical mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance. However, bacteria continuously remain one-step ahead by developing increasingly sophisticated adaptive survival strategies that enable them to evade antimicrobial activity and persist under therapeutic pressure. Phenomena such as heteroresistance, persistence, tolerance and biofilm formation are increasingly recognized as important contributors to chronic infections and reduced therapeutic efficacy. A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying adaptive bacterial survival strategies, together with the development of next-generation therapeutic approaches, is urgently needed. This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of these processes.
The scope includes, but is not limited to, heteroresistance, multi-heteroresistance, persistence, tolerance, biofilm formation, stress adaptation and virulence-associated survival mechanisms. Original research articles and review papers addressing innovative anti-infective strategies beyond conventional antibiotics are particularly encouraged, including anti-biofilm therapies, antimicrobial peptides, nanotechnology-based approaches, anti-virulence strategies, and other emerging therapeutic technologies.
Dr. Ksenia Szymanek-Majchrzak
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- antimicrobial resistance
- heteroresistance
- persistence
- biofilm
- bacterial adaptation
- antimicrobial tolerance
- anti-biofilm therapy
- next-generation therapeutics
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