Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.2
4.7
Journals
Microorganisms
Special Issues
Advances in Antimicrobial Treatment
share announcement

Advances in Antimicrobial Treatment

A Special Issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607) belonging to the section "Antimicrobial Agents and Resistance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2026) | Viewed by 8908

Editors

Dr. Luis Adrián De Jesús-González

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Unidad de Investigación Biomédica de Zacatecas, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Zacatecas 98000, Mexico
Interests: viral infection; antiviral; emerging diseases; antiviral therapies; vaccines; bioinformatics; clinical trials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Moises Leon-Juarez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratorio de Virología Perinatal y Diseño Molecular de Antígenos y Biomarcadores, Departamento de Inmunobioquimica, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología “Isidro Espinosa de los Reyes”, Mexico City 11000, Mexico
Interests: viral infection; viral replication; antivirals; vertical viral infections
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The ongoing battle against microbial pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi, continues to challenge global health systems, particularly in the face of rising antimicrobial resistance. This Special Issue of Microorganisms invites groundbreaking research and comprehensive reviews that advance our understanding and treatment of microbial infections. Contributions may explore novel therapeutic strategies, including drug development, the repurposing of existing antivirals, antibacterial and antifungal agents, innovative combination therapies, and alternative approaches such as phage therapy and immune modulation.

We particularly welcome studies employing cutting-edge methodologies, such as in silico modeling, high-throughput screening, and omics technologies, to identify potential antimicrobial targets and optimize therapeutic interventions. Submissions addressing the mechanisms of resistance, host–pathogen interactions, or the clinical translation of antimicrobial agents are also encouraged.

This Issue showcases diverse perspectives and innovative solutions, aiming to inspire collaboration and accelerate progress in combating infectious diseases, ultimately contributing to improved global health outcomes.

Dr. Luis Adrián De Jesús-González
Dr. Moises Leon-Juarez
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-anonymized 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

  • antimicrobial resistance
  • novel therapies
  • drug repurposing
  • antiviral agents
  • antibacterial agents
  • antifungal agents
  • microbial pathogens
  • host–pathogen interactions
  • omics technologies
  • phage therapy

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 5261 KB  
Article
Synergic Effect of Fluconazole and Quinoline Derivatives Combination Against Cryptococcus spp., Mechanisms of Action and Toxicity
by Luana Candice Genz Bazana, Ânderson Ramos Carvalho, Rodrigo Foss da Silva, Solange Cristina Garcia, Marcelo Dutra Arbo, Mario Lettieri Teixeira and Alexandre Meneghello Fuentefria
Microorganisms 2026, 14(8), 1654; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14081654 - 29 Jul 2026
Viewed by 449
Abstract
Cryptococcosis is a severe fungal infection affecting immunocompromised individuals, with treatment limited to FLZ, AMB, and FC. This study investigated the antifungal potential of fluconazole (FLZ)-, amphotericin B (AMB)-, 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ)-, and clioquinol (CQ)-based combinations against Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii. Drug [...] Read more.
Cryptococcosis is a severe fungal infection affecting immunocompromised individuals, with treatment limited to FLZ, AMB, and FC. This study investigated the antifungal potential of fluconazole (FLZ)-, amphotericin B (AMB)-, 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ)-, and clioquinol (CQ)-based combinations against Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii. Drug interactions were assessed by checkerboard assay, followed by time–kill curves, irritability, toxicity, and virulence factors inhibition tests. The FLZ + AMB combination showed weak synergism, whereas FLZ combined with CQ or 8HQ exhibited strong synergistic effects (p < 0.001) at low concentrations (0.125–0.25 µg/mL), up to three times greater than those of FLZ + AMB. This effect persisted across other strains, including less FLZ-susceptible isolates. Moreover, FLZ + CQ inhibited melanin production in both species without causing significant irritability or toxicity in the tested models. These results indicate that combining drugs with distinct mechanisms of action can enhance antifungal efficacy while potentially reducing treatment doses. The FLZ + CQ/8HQ combinations represent promising candidates for future in vivo models for therapeutic evaluation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Treatment)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

16 pages, 3936 KB  
Article
Protective Effect of Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 on Salmonella typhimurium Infection by Regulating Intestinal Flora
by Zi-Jun Li, Ling-Jiao Yu, Ya-Xin Yang, Ying Li, Emad Beshir Ata, Yang Zhou, Rong-Rong Zhang, Yi-Bing Lian, Hong-Liang Chen, Chun-Wei Shi, Gui-Lian Yang, Hai-Bin Huang, Yan-Long Jiang, Jian-Zhong Wang, Xin Cao, Nan Wang, Yan Zeng, Wen-Tao Yang and Chun-Feng Wang
Microorganisms 2026, 14(5), 1155; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14051155 - 20 May 2026
Viewed by 1089
Abstract
Salmonellosis is a global foodborne pathogen with zoonotic importance that seriously threatens livestock breeding and human health. Due to the implementation of an anti-resistance policy, probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics have attracted widespread attention. In this study, the widely used probiotic Escherichia [...] Read more.
Salmonellosis is a global foodborne pathogen with zoonotic importance that seriously threatens livestock breeding and human health. Due to the implementation of an anti-resistance policy, probiotics as an alternative to antibiotics have attracted widespread attention. In this study, the widely used probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN) was selected to study its protective effect on mice infected with Salmonella typhimurium. Two mice groups (n = 15) were treated with either EcN and PBS. Flow cytometry showed that the frequency of mature dendritic cells in the Peyer’s patch was significantly increased compared to the PBS group. Previous administration of EcN protected against challenge with Salmonella typhimurium infection as an increased survival rate of the mice, a decreased degree of pathological changes, and the number of live bacteria in the spleen and liver were recorded compared to the control group. The results of 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing of fecal microbial flora showed that EcN could reduce the abundance of microorganisms in the intestine and reduce the proportion of Lactobacillus, while Ruminococcaceae sp., Rikenella sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. disappeared. In contrast, the abundance of Bacteroides increased, which reduced the effect of Salmonella typhimurium on the distribution of intestinal microorganisms. Our results demonstrated that EcN has a protective effect against Salmonella typhimurium infection and may act as a candidate probiotic bacterium to apply in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Treatment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 3719 KB  
Article
Prophage-Derived Endolysin E1 Synergizes with Meropenem Against Acinetobacter baumannii
by Jinyu Wang, Jinlong Bai, Yuhui Li, Ruirui Hu, Haihua Yang, Shengwei Hu and Wei Ni
Microorganisms 2026, 14(5), 953; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14050953 - 23 Apr 2026
Viewed by 646
Abstract
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is classified as a critical priority pathogen by the World Health Organization, and new therapeutic alternatives are urgently needed. In this study, we performed genomic mining of 27,531 A. baumannii genomes and identified 5144 prophage-derived endolysin candidates. Four highly [...] Read more.
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) is classified as a critical priority pathogen by the World Health Organization, and new therapeutic alternatives are urgently needed. In this study, we performed genomic mining of 27,531 A. baumannii genomes and identified 5144 prophage-derived endolysin candidates. Four highly prevalent candidates (E1–E4) were recombinantly expressed and functionally evaluated against A. baumannii. Among them, E1 exhibited the strongest bactericidal activity against reference strains ATCC 19606 and CMCC 25001, with a minimum inhibitory concentration in the micromolar range. E1 effectively disrupted preformed biofilms (>60% reduction) and remained stable under a broad range of temperatures (4–60 °C), pH values (6–8), and NaCl concentrations (up to 500 mM). Structural analysis indicated that E1 adopts a canonical lysozyme-like fold with key residues for peptidoglycan binding, and its lytic activity in vitro relied on 1 mM EDTA-mediated outer membrane permeabilization. In a murine peritoneal infection model, combination therapy with E1 and meropenem (each at 1 × MIC) significantly increased the survival rate to 66.7% and reduced bacterial loads in blood and multiple organs. This study demonstrates that prophage-derived endolysin E1 acts synergistically with meropenem against A. baumannii, supporting E1 as a promising candidate for developing combination therapies against CRAB. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Treatment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 2381 KB  
Article
Assessment of Eravacycline Antimicrobial Susceptibility in China During the First Year Following Regulatory Approval (2023–2024): A Real-World Study
by Qiaolian Yi, Yi Li, Menglan Zhou, Ran Jing, Minya Lu and Yingchun Xu
Microorganisms 2026, 14(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14010044 - 24 Dec 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1648
Abstract
Eravacycline, a novel fluorocycline antimicrobial, was approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in March 2023; however, clinical breakpoints and real-world data on its use in China remain limited. We conducted a retrospective, questionnaire-based analysis of eravacycline use across 21 provinces in [...] Read more.
Eravacycline, a novel fluorocycline antimicrobial, was approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in March 2023; however, clinical breakpoints and real-world data on its use in China remain limited. We conducted a retrospective, questionnaire-based analysis of eravacycline use across 21 provinces in China during the first year after NMPA approval (September 2023–September 2024). Data from 3369 patients who received eravacycline were collected. We analyzed the distribution of pathogens and specimens, reported in vitro susceptibility to eravacycline, imipenem, meropenem, tigecycline, and polymyxins and evaluated microbiological outcomes. Acinetobacter baumannii (52.0%, 1259/2419) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (26.1%, 631/2419) were the most commonly reported pathogens. High levels of carbapenem resistance were observed: 704 of 771 (91.3%) for A. baumannii and 323 of 392 (82.4%) for K. pneumoniae. In contrast, susceptibility to eravacycline was 95.5% (737/772) and 92.5% (297/321), respectively. Microbiological outcomes suggested potential activity against these resistant isolates, though post-treatment culture data were limited. This study demonstrates that eravacycline exhibited potent in vitro activity against prevalent carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative pathogens in real-world Chinese clinical practice during its first-year post-approval. Continuous monitoring of eravacycline resistance trends, together with prospective studies that correlate microbiological and clinical outcomes in specific infection types, will be crucial for defining its long-term therapeutic utility and the risk of resistance emergence. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Treatment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 4887 KB  
Article
Marine-Derived Peptides from Phaeodactylum tricornutum as Potential SARS-CoV-2 Mpro Inhibitors: An In Silico Approach
by David Mauricio Cañedo-Figueroa, Marco Antonio Valdez-Flores, Claudia Desireé Norzagaray-Valenzuela, Loranda Calderón-Zamora, Ángel Radamés Rábago-Monzón, Josué Camberos-Barraza, Alma Marlene Guadrón-Llanos, Alberto Kousuke De la Herrán-Arita, Verónica Judith Picos-Cárdenas, Alejandro Camacho-Zamora, Alejandra Romero-Utrilla, Carlos Daniel Cordero-Rivera, Rosa María del Ángel, Moisés León-Juárez, José Manuel Reyes-Ruiz, Carlos Noe Farfan-Morales, Luis Adrián De Jesús-González and Juan Fidel Osuna-Ramos
Microorganisms 2025, 13(6), 1271; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061271 - 30 May 2025
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2508
Abstract
The ongoing threat of viral pandemics such as COVID-19 highlights the urgent need for novel antiviral therapeutics targeting conserved viral proteins. In this study, peptides of 10–30 kDa derived from the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum were identified as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main [...] Read more.
The ongoing threat of viral pandemics such as COVID-19 highlights the urgent need for novel antiviral therapeutics targeting conserved viral proteins. In this study, peptides of 10–30 kDa derived from the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum were identified as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro), a key enzyme in viral replication. Peptides less than 60 amino acids in length were retrieved from the UniProt database and aligned with reference antiviral sequences using the Biopython pairwise2 algorithm. Six candidates were selected for structural modeling using AlphaFold2 and Swiss-Model, followed by molecular docking using ClusPro2. LigPlot+ was used to assess molecular interactions, while NetMHCpan 4.1 and AVPpred evaluated immunogenicity and antiviral potential, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations over 100 ns were conducted using OpenMM. These peptides demonstrated stable binding interactions with key catalytic residues of Mpro. Specifically, peptide A0A8J9SA87 interacted with Cys145 and Glu166, while peptide A0A8J9SDW0 exhibited interactions with His41 and Phe140, both of which are known to be essential for Mpro inhibition. Although peptide A0A8J9X3P8 also interacted with catalytic residues, it exhibited greater structural fluctuations during molecular dynamics simulations and achieved lower AVPpred scores, suggesting lower overall antiviral potential. Therefore, A0A8J9SA87 and A0A8J9SDW0 were identified as the most promising candidates. Molecular dynamics simulations further supported the high structural stability of these peptide-Mpro complexes over a 100 ns timescale, reinforcing their potential as effective inhibitors. These findings support P. tricornutum as a valuable source of antiviral peptides and demonstrate the feasibility of in silico pipelines for identifying therapeutic candidates against SARS-CoV-2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Treatment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 1500 KB  
Article
A Decade of Pediatric CA-MRSA Surveillance in Northern Taiwan: Retrospective Resistance Analysis and Recent Genotypic Characterization
by Chia-Ning Chang, Chia-Hsiang Yu and Chih-Chien Wang
Microorganisms 2025, 13(5), 1013; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13051013 - 28 Apr 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1279
Abstract
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of pediatric infections and has shown evolving molecular characteristics over time. This study aimed to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic features of MRSA isolates collected from pediatric patients at a tertiary medical center in northern [...] Read more.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of pediatric infections and has shown evolving molecular characteristics over time. This study aimed to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic features of MRSA isolates collected from pediatric patients at a tertiary medical center in northern Taiwan between 2011 and 2020. A total of 182 MRSA strains were analyzed for SCCmec types, PVL gene presence, antimicrobial susceptibility, multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and clonal relatedness using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). ST59/SCCmec Vt was the most prevalent genotype, followed by ST59/SCCmec IV and ST8/SCCmec IV. Most ST59/SCCmec Vt and ST8/SCCmec IV isolates clustered genetically. Clindamycin and erythromycin resistance remained high, whereas co-trimoxazole susceptibility ranged from 76% to 100%. These findings confirm ST59 as the dominant clone and highlight the emergence of ST8 and ST45 in community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) infections. Oral co-trimoxazole remains the most effective empirical option, while clindamycin and erythromycin should be avoided. Continuous molecular surveillance is warranted to monitor trends and guide treatment strategies in pediatric MRSA infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Antimicrobial Treatment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop