Antibiotic Resistance in Pathogenic Bacteria

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 429

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: natural transformation; antimicrobial resistance; mobile genetic elements; Gram-negative bacteria; One Health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
Interests: molecular epidemiology; antimicrobial resistance; horizontal gene transfer; Gram-negative bacteria; One Health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antibiotic resistance is a global health threat impacting Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. An increasing number of strains are now virtually resistant to all available antibiotics, making infectious diseases difficult or impossible to treat. The World Health Organization has identified species that urgently require new antimicrobials. At the same time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has highlighted the species posing the most significant health threats due to antibiotic resistance. Several species appear on both lists.

Understanding the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, their acquisition, and the events associated with the dissemination of resistance determinants is essential to developing strategies to overcome resistance. This Special Issue thus welcomes original research or review manuscripts focused on the molecular mechanisms of resistance and dissemination, bacterial strategies to evade antimicrobial action, specific resistant bacterial strains, antimicrobial stewardship, novel strategic therapeutics to fight resistant infections, and broader scientific concepts related to this critical global health challenge in the most impactful human pathogens.

Dr. Sara Domingues
Dr. Gabriela Jorge Da Silva
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • antibiotic resistance genes
  • antibiotic resistance mechanisms
  • multidrug-resistant bacteria
  • mobile genetic elements
  • horizontal gene transfer
  • antibiotic stewardship

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 694 KiB  
Article
Risk Factors and Prognosis of Polymyxin- and Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Infections: A Propensity-Matched Real-World Study
by Jian Xu, Mei Liang, Yanan Luo and Junyan Qu
Microorganisms 2025, 13(6), 1256; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061256 - 29 May 2025
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Abstract
The risk factors and prognosis of polymyxin- and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (PR-CRE) infections were analyzed to reduce their incidence and concurrently improve patient prognosis. This retrospective study analyzed patients with CRE infections admitted to West China Hospital of Sichuan University between 1 September 2019 [...] Read more.
The risk factors and prognosis of polymyxin- and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (PR-CRE) infections were analyzed to reduce their incidence and concurrently improve patient prognosis. This retrospective study analyzed patients with CRE infections admitted to West China Hospital of Sichuan University between 1 September 2019 and 30 September 2023. Based on polymyxin susceptibility, the cases were categorized into PR-CRE and PS-CRE (polymyxin-susceptible CRE) groups, with 1:1 propensity score matching performed between the two cohorts. Comprehensive data, including demographic characteristics, laboratory findings, antibiotic regimens, and clinical outcomes, were collected and analyzed to identify risk factors for PR-CRE infections and evaluate treatment efficacy. This study aims to provide evidence-based references for infection control strategies and antimicrobial stewardship in managing PR-CRE infections. A total of 254 patients were included in this study, with 127 patients in the PR-CRE group. The sensitivity rates of isolates in the PR-CRE group to tigecycline and ceftazidime–avibactam were 94.4% and 88.9%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified chronic organic disease (OR 2.747, 95% CI 1.303–5.789; p = 0.008) and the use of polymyxin ≥ 3 days (OR 19.203, 95% CI 7.126–51.752; p < 0.001) as independent risk factors for PR-CRE infection. Moreover, ceftazidime–avibactam-based regimens were superior to tigecycline-based regimens for the treatment of PR-CRE infections (71.43% vs. 58.46%), especially in critically ill patients (33.33% vs. 58.82%). Finally, a SOFA score ≥ 5.5 (HR 6.718, 95% CI 2.526–17.866; p < 0.001) was identified as an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality in patients with PR-CRE infection. The presence of chronic organic diseases and the use of polymyxin for ≥3 days were identified as independent risk factors associated with PR-CRE infections in hospitalized patients, highlighting the need to optimize polymyxin use. Furthermore, the efficacy of ceftazidime–avibactam-based regimens may be superior to tigecycline-based regimens for the treatment of PR-CRE infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotic Resistance in Pathogenic Bacteria)
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