Bacterial Infections: Unraveling Pathogenesis, Resistance, and Therapeutic Frontiers
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 2025 | Viewed by 358
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Bacterial infections represent one of humanity's most persistent health challenges, now established as the second leading cause of death globally. The landmark 2022 GRAM Project study revealed that 33 bacterial pathogens were associated with 7.7 million deaths in 2019—approximately one in eight global deaths. The molecular basis behind the virulence and pathogenicity of these bacteria urgently needs to be investigated on the genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic levels.
Recent projections show that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mechanisms are expected to lead to 39 million deaths between 2025 and 2050. MRSA deaths have more than doubled since 1990, with resistance genes spreading through horizontal gene transfer and adaptive mutations. Similarly, carbapenem resistance among Gram-negative bacteria continues to evolve through complex molecular pathways.
Intervention strategies based on molecular insights—from CRISPR-based diagnostics to bacteriophage engineering and novel small-molecule inhibitors targeting resistance mechanisms—show promise for averting millions of deaths. However, only through detailed molecular understanding can we develop targeted therapeutics to address what has become one of our most pressing global health challenges.
This Special Issue of IJMS will exclusively feature research with robust molecular data exploring bacterial resistance genomics, host–pathogen interactions, molecular epidemiology, and novel antimicrobial targets. As a molecular-focused journal, IJMS requires submissions to include comprehensive molecular analyses using techniques such as whole-genome sequencing, transcriptomics, proteomics, or structural biology.
Dr. Jagoda Jablonska
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- antimicrobial resistance
- host–pathogen interactions
- bacterial molecular pathogenesis
- therapeutic target discovery
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