Host-Pathogen Interactions during Persistent Bacterial Infections, 2nd Edition
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: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 565
Special Issue Editor
Interests: toxin-mediated effects in bacterial infections and viral-bacterial co-infections; persistence strategies of pathogens; infection models and testing of therapy strategies; diagnostic microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue “Host-Pathogen Interactions during Persistent Bacterial Infections” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/special_issues/9MW6L7UFH9).
One of the main bacterial strategies during persistence is to manipulate the host response to promote microbial survival. Bacterial adaptation is frequently used by pathogens upon the transition from the free-living state to an intracellular environment. In this scenario, bacterial pathogens regulate their virulence factors, phenotype and metabolic pathways to persist silently for long periods of time. The microbes are able to establish a niche to avoid their eradication despite antimicrobials and immune response. However, the persisting pathogens can escape from their niche, regain full virulence and develop a new episode of an infection. Thus, the study of bacterial adaptation to the host plays an important role in the progress of disease from acute to chronic and relapse infections.
On the other hand, the host competes with bacteria for nutrients and survival. Thus, host cells adapt their metabolic pathways to activate the bacterial clearance. This type of interaction between host and pathogen determines the outcome of the infection.
This Special Issue is dedicated to understanding the mechanisms that take place during the bacterial switch from an aggressive virulent to a silent persisting phenotype. Furthermore, changes induced by pathogens on host cells that promote bacterial persistence should be taken into consideration. Reviews and research articles focusing on understanding the interchange between the different phenotypes by multiple approaches that include molecular and cell biology tools, advanced imaging tools and -omics techniques are welcome.
Prof. Dr. Bettina Löffler
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- bacteria
- intracellular adaptation
- metabolic adaptation
- metabolic host reprogramming
- host–pathogen interaction
- chronic infections
- regulation of virulence
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