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Microorganisms
Special Issues
Laboratory Diagnosis and Epidemiology of Clinical Microbial Infections
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Laboratory Diagnosis and Epidemiology of Clinical Microbial Infections

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 921

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Vassiliki Pitiriga

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Street, 11527 Athens, Greece
Interests: clinical infection; antibiotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infectious diseases remain a significant global health challenge, driven by evolving microbial pathogens and increasing antimicrobial resistance. This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the laboratory diagnosis and epidemiology of clinical microbial infections. We welcome contributions that explore emerging pathogens, novel diagnostic technologies, resistance mechanisms and epidemiological trends. By highlighting these aspects, this issue seeks to foster a deeper understanding of infectious disease dynamics and support the development of more effective strategies for the management of clinical microbial infections.

Dr. Vassiliki Pitiriga
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.

Keywords

  • infectious disease
  • laboratory diagnosis
  • epidemiology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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30 pages, 500 KB  
Systematic Review
Role of Lipidomics in Respiratory Tract Infections: A Systematic Review of Emerging Evidence
by Vasiliki E. Georgakopoulou, Konstantinos Dodos and Vassiliki C. Pitiriga
Microorganisms 2025, 13(9), 2190; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13092190 - 19 Sep 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 751
Abstract
Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) remain a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, yet accurate pathogen identification and risk stratification continue to pose clinical challenges. Lipidomics—the comprehensive analysis of lipid species within biological systems—has emerged as a promising tool to unravel host–pathogen [...] Read more.
Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) remain a major cause of global morbidity and mortality, yet accurate pathogen identification and risk stratification continue to pose clinical challenges. Lipidomics—the comprehensive analysis of lipid species within biological systems—has emerged as a promising tool to unravel host–pathogen interactions and reveal novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from nine original studies applying mass spectrometry-based lipidomic profiling in human LRTIs, including community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Across diverse study designs, sample types, and analytical platforms, consistent alterations in lipid metabolism were observed. Perturbations in phospholipid classes, particularly phosphatidylcholines (PCs) and lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs), were frequently associated with disease severity and immune activation. The ratios of PC to LPC and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) to lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LPE) emerged as markers of inflammatory remodeling. Sphingolipids—including sphingomyelins (SMs) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)—were identified as key modulators of monocyte and neutrophil activation. Fatty acid–derived lipid mediators such as oxylipins (e.g., 12,13-epoxyoctadecenoic acid and 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid) and acylcarnitines reflected pathogen-specific immune responses and mitochondrial dysfunction. Several lipid-based classifiers demonstrated superior diagnostic and prognostic performance compared to conventional clinical scores, including the CURB-65 and pneumonia severity index. However, significant heterogeneity in experimental design, lipid identification workflows, and reporting standards limits inter-study comparability. While preliminary findings support the integration of lipidomics into infectious disease research, larger multi-omic and longitudinal studies are required. This review provides the first comprehensive synthesis of lipidomic alterations in human LRTIs and highlights their emerging translational relevance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laboratory Diagnosis and Epidemiology of Clinical Microbial Infections)
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