Advanced Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Detection

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 751

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
National Health Laboratory Service, Medical Microbiology Department, University of Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
Interests: infection prevention andcontrol; infectious diseases (TB, COVID-19, bacterial and fungal infections); analysis of clinical and microbiological data on microorganisms-related sepsis/infection to guide

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Guest Editor
Medical Microbiology Department, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital Academic Complex, Regional Head Office, Prince Street, National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Durban, South Africa
Interests: antimicrobial resistance microorganisms

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Medical Microbiology, National Health Laboratory Service, Durban, South Africa
2. School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Interests: antimicrobial susceptibility patterns; uti in pregnant women; resistance genes; uropathogens; porins

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our privilege to serve as Guest Editors of this Special Issue titled “Advanced Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Detection”, which will offer valuable insight.

Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) represent one of the most urgent global health threats, owing to their intrinsic and acquired resistance mechanisms, the limited therapeutic options associated with them, and their high mortality rates in vulnerable patient populations. Among them, carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), Acinetobacter baumannii, and intrinsically carbapenem-resistant organisms such as Stenotrophomonas maltophilia are of particular concern in intensive care units and other high-risk clinical environments.

While phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing remains essential for guiding initial treatment decisions, the growing variety of resistance mechanisms calls for the use of genotypic assays to accurately identify carbapenemase genes and other molecular markers. The integration of phenotypic and genotypic results provides a more comprehensive diagnostic framework, allowing clinicians to distinguish between intrinsic and acquired resistance, monitor emerging resistance patterns, and implement appropriate treatment and infection prevention strategies.

This Special Issue will feature contributions that deepen our understanding of both the laboratory and clinical aspects of carbapenem resistance. By showcasing advancements in detection technologies and their clinical applications, these articles emphasize the need to align diagnostic precision with antimicrobial stewardship to enhance patient outcomes.

Through this collective effort, we aim to strengthen the evidence base needed for effective management of infections caused by CRE, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Acinetobacter spp., and to contribute to global strategies in combating the growing challenge of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative pathogens.

The focal points and target organisms include, but are not limited to, those mentioned above and the following:

  • Multidrug-resistant Gram-positive bacteria;
  • Other multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria;
  • STD/STI-related microorganisms.

Dr. Jeannette Wadula
Dr. Khine Swe Han
Dr. Prathna Bhola
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • multidrug-resistant
  • gram-positive bacteria
  • gram-negative bacteria
  • pathogens
 

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

17 pages, 3676 KB  
Article
Non-Targeted Screening Method for Detecting Temporal Shifts in Spectral Patterns of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Post Hoc Description of Peak Features
by Kapil Nichani, Steffen Uhlig, Victor San Martin, Karina Hettwer, Kirstin Frost, Ulrike Steinacker, Heike Kaspar, Petra Gowik and Sabine Kemmlein
Microorganisms 2026, 14(1), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14010104 - 3 Jan 2026
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Abstract
Non-targeted methods (NTMs) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) show promise in bacterial resistance detection, yet temporal variations in spectral features pose significant challenges. These proteomic patterns, which characterize bacterial phenotypes and pathological functions, may vary over time due to [...] Read more.
Non-targeted methods (NTMs) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) show promise in bacterial resistance detection, yet temporal variations in spectral features pose significant challenges. These proteomic patterns, which characterize bacterial phenotypes and pathological functions, may vary over time due to bacterial adaptation, virulence, or resistance mechanisms, resulting in large prediction uncertainties and potentially degrading NTM performance. We present a comprehensive screening method to detect temporal changes in MALDI-TOF spectral patterns, demonstrated using methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA/MSSA) isolates collected over several years. Our approach combines convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with statistical methods, including significance testing, kernel density estimation, and receiver operating characteristics for dataset shift detection. We employ Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) for post hoc feature description, enabling biochemical characterization of temporal changes. This analysis reveals crucial insights into the dynamic relationship between spectral data patterns over time, addressing key challenges in developing robust NTMs for routine applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing and Detection)
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