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Microorganisms
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Recent Advances in Emerging Infectious Diseases
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Recent Advances in Emerging Infectious Diseases

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Public Health Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 32015

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nadim Cassir

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement (IRD), Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), Microbes, Evolution, Phylogénie et Infection (MEPHI), Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
Interests: applied microbiology; infection; infectious diseases; antibiotics; PCR; epidemiology; antibiotic resistance; antimicrobials; bacteriology; general microbiology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging infectious diseases (‎EIDs)‎ are serious threats to public health. An emerging infectious disease is one that either has appeared and affected a population for the first time, or has existed previously but is rapidly spreading, either in terms of increased incidence or geographical expansion. Many EIDs are zoonotic in origin; however, human cross-transmission may remain the key element that needs to be controlled. Healthcare-associated infections should be considered as potential emerging infectious diseases in this context. Considerable technical advances in clinical microbiology have played a pivotal role in the advancement of knowledge about emerging infectious diseases. In the last two years, SARS-CoV-2 emerged and evolved into a worldwide pandemic, threatening human health. Although there is already abundant scientific literature available, a better understanding of its pathogenicity and epidemiological characteristics is still needed.

In this Special Issue, we aim to address features of disease onset and factors affecting infectious disease transmission. Authors are invited to submit original articles, systemic reviews and meta-analyses, critical reviews, and short communications addressing issues relevant to any recent advances in microorganisms’ pathogenicity and transmission leading to emerging or re-emerging infectious diseases.

Dr. Nadim Cassir
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Microorganisms 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 2700 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.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1955 KiB  
Article
Intracloacal Inoculation of Broiler Chickens with Clostridium perfringens Strains: Evaluation of Necrotic Enteritis Disease Development and Lymphoid Immune Responses
by Carissa Gaghan, Kaitlin Gorrell, Khaled Taha-Abdelaziz, Shayan Sharif and Raveendra R. Kulkarni
Microorganisms 2023, 11(3), 771; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11030771 - 17 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2791
Abstract
Necrotic enteritis (NE) is an economically important disease of chickens. We have recently shown that inflammatory responses in chickens inoculated orally with virulent Clostridium perfringens were spatially regulated. Here, we used previously virulence-characterized netB+ C. perfringens strains, avirulent CP5 and virulent [...] Read more.
Necrotic enteritis (NE) is an economically important disease of chickens. We have recently shown that inflammatory responses in chickens inoculated orally with virulent Clostridium perfringens were spatially regulated. Here, we used previously virulence-characterized netB+ C. perfringens strains, avirulent CP5 and virulent CP18 and CP26, to assess the severity of NE and immune responses in broiler chickens when inoculated intracloacally. The results showed that CP18- and CP26-infected birds had a reduced weight gain and developed milder/less severe NE lesions, as determined by the gross lesions scores, suggesting a subclinical-grade infection. Gene expression analysis in infected birds revealed three statistically significant observations compared to uninfected-control: (1) Increased expression of anti-inflammatory/immunoregulatory interleukin (IL)-10/transforming growth factor (TGF)β in cecal tonsil (CT) and bursa of Fabricius in the CP18/CP26-infected groups. (2) Increased CT transcription of pro-inflammatory IL-1β, IL-6 and interferon (IFN)γ and decreased Harderian gland (HG) expression of IFNγ in the CP18/CP26-infected birds. (3) Increased HG or bursal expression of IL-4 and IL-13 in CP5-infected birds. Collectively, intracloacal C. perfringens inoculation seems to induce a highly regulated inflammatory response in the CT and other mucosal lymphoid organs and an intracloacal infection model may be useful in evaluating immune responses in chickens with subclinical NE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Emerging Infectious Diseases)
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18 pages, 381 KiB  
Article
TORCH Congenital Syndrome Infections in Central America’s Northern Triangle
by Mary K. Lynn, M. Stanley Rodriguez Aquino, Stella C. W. Self, Mufaro Kanyangarara, Berry A. Campbell and Melissa S. Nolan
Microorganisms 2023, 11(2), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020257 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4702
Abstract
TORCH pathogens are a group of globally prevalent infectious agents that may cross the placental barrier, causing severe negative sequalae in neonates, including fetal death and lifelong morbidity. TORCH infections are classically defined by Toxoplasma gondii, other infectious causes of concern (e.g., [...] Read more.
TORCH pathogens are a group of globally prevalent infectious agents that may cross the placental barrier, causing severe negative sequalae in neonates, including fetal death and lifelong morbidity. TORCH infections are classically defined by Toxoplasma gondii, other infectious causes of concern (e.g., syphilis, Zika virus, malaria, human immunodeficiency virus), rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex viruses. Neonatal disorders and congenital birth defects are the leading causes of neonatal mortality in Central America’s Northern Triangle, yet little is known about TORCH congenital syndrome in this region. This review synthesizes the little that is known regarding the most salient TORCH infections among pregnant women and neonates in Central America’s Northern Triangle and highlights gaps in the literature that warrant further research. Due to the limited publicly available information, this review includes both peer-reviewed published literature and university professional degree theses. Further large-scale studies should be conducted to clarify the public health impact these infections in this world region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Emerging Infectious Diseases)
9 pages, 859 KiB  
Article
Eosinopenia as Predictor of Poor Outcome in Hospitalized COVID-19 Adult Patients from Waves 1 and 2 of 2020 Pandemic
by Raphael Cauchois, Lea Pietri, Jean-Baptiste Dalmas, Marie Koubi, Thibaut Capron, Nadim Cassir, Nicola Potere, Ildo Polidoro, Rodolphe Jean, Pierre-André Jarrot, Baptiste Andre, Veronique Veit, Julien Carvelli, Vanessa Pauly, Pascal Chanez, Laurent Papazian and Gilles Kaplanski
Microorganisms 2022, 10(12), 2423; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms10122423 - 7 Dec 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1478
Abstract
During SARS-CoV-2 infection, eosinopenia may reflect a hyperactive immune response. In this study of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, we aimed to better understand the prognostic value of severe eosinopenia (absolute eosinophil count = 0 G/L) and decipher its underlying mechanisms. We retrospectively analyzed the [...] Read more.
During SARS-CoV-2 infection, eosinopenia may reflect a hyperactive immune response. In this study of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, we aimed to better understand the prognostic value of severe eosinopenia (absolute eosinophil count = 0 G/L) and decipher its underlying mechanisms. We retrospectively analyzed the records of COVID-19 patients hospitalized from March to June 2020 in three university hospitals in Marseille, France. We assessed the association between severe eosinopenia and a composite poor outcome in these patients, including the need for oxygen supplementation at >6 L/min, ICU admission, and in-hospital death. Among the 551 COVID-19 patients included in this study, severe eosinopenia was found in 228 (51%) of them on admission to hospital and was associated with a composite poor outcome using multivariate analysis (OR = 2.58; CI95 [1.77–3.75]; p < 0.0001). We found a significant association between the presence of severe eosinopenia on admission and the elevation in C-reactive protein, ferritin, IP-10, and suPAR. The histological findings in a series of 37 autopsies from patients who died from severe COVID-19 and presented with severe eosinopenia showed no pulmonary eosinophil trapping. Severe eosinopenia can be a reliable biomarker associated with a composite poor outcome in hospitalized COVID-19 adult patients. It may reflect the magnitude of immune hyperactivation during severe-to-critical COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Emerging Infectious Diseases)
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Review

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38 pages, 4772 KiB  
Review
The Impact of Earthquakes on Public Health: A Narrative Review of Infectious Diseases in the Post-Disaster Period Aiming to Disaster Risk Reduction
by Maria Mavrouli, Spyridon Mavroulis, Efthymios Lekkas and Athanassios Tsakris
Microorganisms 2023, 11(2), 419; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020419 - 7 Feb 2023
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 19160
Abstract
Earthquakes are among the most impressive natural phenomena with very high potential to set off a chain of effects that significantly affects public health through casualties and injuries. Related disasters are attributed not only to the strong ground motion and coseismic phenomena but [...] Read more.
Earthquakes are among the most impressive natural phenomena with very high potential to set off a chain of effects that significantly affects public health through casualties and injuries. Related disasters are attributed not only to the strong ground motion and coseismic phenomena but also to secondary effects, comprising mainly landslides and tsunamis, among others. All these can create harsh conditions favorable for the emergence of infectious diseases that are capable of causing additional human and economic losses and disruption of the emergency and recovery process. The present study comprises an extensive narrative review of the existing literature on the earthquake-triggered infectious diseases recorded worldwide, along with their symptoms, causative pathogens, associated risk factors, most vulnerable population groups, and prevention strategies. Respiratory, gastrointestinal, and vector-borne diseases, as well as wound and skin infections, are mainly recorded among the earthquake-affected population. Measures for effectively preventing earthquake-triggered infectious diseases are also proposed. One of the widely proposed measures is the establishment of a proper disease surveillance system in order to immediately and effectively identify the pre- and post-disaster occurrence of infectious diseases. This approach significantly contributes to disease trends monitoring, validation of early warning, and support of the emergency response and recovery actions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Emerging Infectious Diseases)
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12 pages, 663 KiB  
Review
How Does Hospital Microbiota Contribute to Healthcare-Associated Infections?
by Flora Cruz-López, Adrián Martínez-Meléndez and Elvira Garza-González
Microorganisms 2023, 11(1), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11010192 - 12 Jan 2023
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3274
Abstract
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are still a global public health concern, associated with high mortality and increased by the phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance. Causative agents of HAIs are commonly found in the hospital environment and are monitored in epidemiological surveillance programs; however, the hospital [...] Read more.
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are still a global public health concern, associated with high mortality and increased by the phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance. Causative agents of HAIs are commonly found in the hospital environment and are monitored in epidemiological surveillance programs; however, the hospital environment is a potential reservoir for pathogenic microbial strains where microorganisms may persist on medical equipment surfaces, on the environment surrounding patients, and on corporal surfaces of patients and healthcare workers (HCWs). The characterization of hospital microbiota may provide knowledge regarding the relatedness between commensal and pathogenic microorganisms, their role in HAIs development, and the environmental conditions that favor its proliferation. This information may contribute to the effective control of the dissemination of pathogens and to improve infection control programs. In this review, we describe evidence of the contribution of hospital microbiota to HAI development and the role of environmental factors, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence factors of the microbial community in persistence on hospital surfaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Emerging Infectious Diseases)
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