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Microorganisms
Special Issues
SARS-CoV-2: Infection, Transmission, and Prevention
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SARS-CoV-2: Infection, Transmission, and Prevention

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2025) | Viewed by 1943

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Eduardo Araújo Oliveira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte 30130-100, MG, Brazil
Interests: COVID-19; vaccines; pediatrics, CAKUT
Prof. Dr. Ana Cristina Simões E Silva

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Interests: pediatrics; kidney function; chronic kidney disease; renin angiotensin system
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It has been over 4 years since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was first declared. As of February 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) had reported over 826 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and 7 million COVID-19-related deaths globally. Following global mass vaccination efforts, the WHO declared the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency in May 2023, citing a decline in deaths and hospitalizations.

While the acute phase of the pandemic may be subsiding, its long-term impact on public health remains significant. In this post-pandemic era, understanding the transition of SARS-CoV-2 to endemicity, its continuous circulation, and its interaction with seasonal viruses is crucial in designing effective preventive and control strategies. This Special Issue will focus on this new scenario, especially regarding the long-term consequences of COVID-19, particularly in vulnerable populations. We aim to gather research that investigates the lasting effects of the virus on physical and mental health, the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare systems, and the development of effective strategies for the long-term management of post-COVID conditions.

For this Special Issue, we encourage submissions that utilize innovative methodologies, such as big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and community-based participatory research, to address these critical challenges. Research articles, review articles, and short communications dealing with various aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the post-pandemic context are welcome, with possible topics including, but not limited to, long-term health consequences, viral evolution, vaccine effectiveness, vaccine safety, and the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare systems. By learning from the past and embracing innovative research approaches, we can better prepare for future public health challenges and ensure a more resilient and equitable healthcare system.

Prof. Dr. Eduardo Araújo Oliveira
Prof. Dr. Ana Cristina Simões E Silva
Guest Editors

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.

Keywords

  • SARS-CoV-2
  • prevention
  • vaccines
  • artificial intelligence

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 518 KiB  
Article
COVID-19 Vaccination Still Makes Sense: Insights on Pneumonia Risk and Hospitalization from a Large-Scale Study at an Academic Tertiary Center in Italy
by Elena Azzolini, Brenda Lupo Pasinetti, Antonio Voza, Antonio Desai, Michele Bartoletti, Stefano Aliberti and Massimiliano Greco
Microorganisms 2025, 13(8), 1744; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13081744 - 25 Jul 2025
Viewed by 162
Abstract
COVID-19 vaccines have revolutionized prevention and clinical management by reducing disease severity and mortality. However, their long-term impact on hospitalization is unclear. This retrospective study assessed whether vaccination status, timing, and number of vaccine doses influence the risk of hospitalization and COVID-19 pneumonia [...] Read more.
COVID-19 vaccines have revolutionized prevention and clinical management by reducing disease severity and mortality. However, their long-term impact on hospitalization is unclear. This retrospective study assessed whether vaccination status, timing, and number of vaccine doses influence the risk of hospitalization and COVID-19 pneumonia in a large cohort in Italy, several years after initial vaccine rollout. From 1 October 2023, to 2 February 2024, at Humanitas Research Hospital (Milan) and two affiliates, we recorded age, sex, comorbidities, vaccination status (number of doses and time since last dose), admission type (urgent vs. elective), and pneumonia diagnosis. Baseline health was quantified by the Charlson Comorbidity Index. Among 16,034 admissions (14,874 patients), vaccination data were available for 5743 cases: 40.8% were in the emergency setting and 59.2% were elective. Patients presented with pneumonia in 6.8% of cases. Laboratory results confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia occurred in 43.7% of pneumonia cases, with a 16.9% mortality. Patients with no vaccine dose had a higher proportion of COVID-19 pneumonia, while COVID-19 pneumonia rates were lower in individuals who had received more vaccine doses. There were no significant differences in COVID-19 pneumonia risk by timing of last vaccination. Moreover, hospitalized unvaccinated patients had overall more frequent emergency admissions (57.3%), while patients with three or more doses had about a ~40% emergency admission rate. COVID-19 positivity during hospitalization was highest in unvaccinated patients (90.7%) and declined with vaccination status. Vaccinated patients, especially those with multiple doses, had significantly lower COVID-19 pneumonia rates and emergency admissions. These findings suggest a possible protective effect of vaccination in modifying the clinical presentation and severity of illness among those who are hospitalized and support continued vaccination efforts for high-risk groups to reduce severe adverse outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SARS-CoV-2: Infection, Transmission, and Prevention)
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17 pages, 1425 KiB  
Article
COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness and Risk Factors of Booster Failure in 480,000 Patients with Diabetes Mellitus: A Population-Based Cohort Study
by Maria Christina L. Oliveira, Daniella R. Martelli, Ana Cristina Simões e Silva, Cristiane S. Dias, Lilian M. Diniz, Enrico A. Colosimo, Clara C. Pinhati, Stella C. Galante, Fernanda N. Duelis, Laura E. Carvalho, Laura G. Coelho, Maria Eduarda T. Bernardes, Hercílio Martelli-Júnior, Fabrício Emanuel S. de Oliveira, Robert H. Mak and Eduardo A. Oliveira
Microorganisms 2025, 13(5), 979; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13050979 - 24 Apr 2025
Viewed by 747
Abstract
To investigate the real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in a large cohort of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), we analyzed all >18-year-old patients with COVID-19 registered in a Brazilian nationwide surveillance database between February 2020 and February 2023. The primary outcome of interest [...] Read more.
To investigate the real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in a large cohort of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), we analyzed all >18-year-old patients with COVID-19 registered in a Brazilian nationwide surveillance database between February 2020 and February 2023. The primary outcome of interest was vaccine effectiveness against death, evaluated using multivariate logistic regression models. Among the 2,131,089 patients registered in the SIVEP-Gripe, 482,677 (22.6%) had DM. After adjusting for covariates, patients with DM had a higher risk of death than those without comorbidities (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.43, 95% CI, 1.39–1.47). For patients without comorbidities (72.7%, 95% CI, 70.5–74.7) and those with DM (73.4%, 95% CI, 68.2–76.7), vaccine effectiveness was similar after the booster dose. However, it was reduced in patients with DM associated with other comorbidities (60.5%; 95% CI, 57.5–63.2). The strongest factor associated with booster failure was the omicron variant (aOR = 27.8, 95% CI, 19.9–40.1). Our study revealed that COVID-19 vaccines provided robust protection against death in individuals with DM. However, our findings underscore the need to update vaccines and develop tailored strategies for individuals with diabetes, especially those with additional underlying conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SARS-CoV-2: Infection, Transmission, and Prevention)
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11 pages, 523 KiB  
Article
Risk Factors for Flares and New Lesions of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Following COVID-19 Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 310 Patients in Greece
by Aikaterini I. Liakou, Andreas G. Tsantes, Evangelia-Konstantina Bompou, Magdalini Kalamata, Efthymia Agiasofitou, Soultana Vladeni, Angeliki Dragoutsou, Konstantina A. Tsante, Petros Ioannou, Eleni Chatzidimitriou, Ourania Kotsafti, George Samonis, Georgia Vrioni, Stefanos Bonovas and Alexander I. Stratigos
Microorganisms 2025, 13(3), 542; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13030542 - 27 Feb 2025
Viewed by 785
Abstract
Background: COVID-19 disease has been associated with flares or new onsets of various autoinflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Our aim is to investigate the occurrence and risk factors of flares or new onsets of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) following COVID-19 disease. [...] Read more.
Background: COVID-19 disease has been associated with flares or new onsets of various autoinflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Our aim is to investigate the occurrence and risk factors of flares or new onsets of Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) following COVID-19 disease. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed including 310 patients with HS following COVID-19 disease. Data on the rate of HS flares, new lesions, time of flare onset, and flare duration were recorded. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment parameters were compared between patients with and without HS flares. Results: HS flares developed in 69 (22.2%) patients, with 14 experiencing their first episode. The median period between COVID-19 and flare onset was 17 days, with a median flare duration of 14 days. For new HS onset, the median period was 9.5 days, and the median duration was 13 days. Biologic treatment was less common in patients with flares (7.2% vs. 23.2%, p = 0.003), and fewer patients with flares were vaccinated (81.1% vs. 99.1%, p < 0.001). Multivariable analysis showed lower risk for flares in those receiving biologics (aOR = 0.14, p = 0.002) and those who were vaccinated (aOR = 0.02, p < 0.001). Conclusions: COVID-19 may trigger HS flares and new onset, with biologic treatment and vaccination offering protection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue SARS-CoV-2: Infection, Transmission, and Prevention)
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