Microbial Infections and Maternal Immune Responses During Pregnancy
A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Microbiology and Immunology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 24
Special Issue Editors
Interests: infections during pregnancy; virology; microbiology; diagnostics; microbial immunology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: nephrology; internal medicine; infections; immunology; virology
Interests: clinical immunology; allergology; virology; diagnostic immunology; drug hypersensitivity
2. Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Limbova 14, 83303 Bratislava, Slovakia
Interests: high risk pregnancy; delivery; cesaraen section; breech presentation
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Microbial infections may occur during pregnancy with or without clinical manifestations in the mother or fetus. An expectant mother may encounter microbes during pregnancy. Exposure of pregnant women to infectious agents depends on multiple factors, including the area of residence, lifestyle, number of family members, type of employment, and epidemics. Additionally, age, socioeconomic status, nutrition, smoking, drug use, genetics, ethnicity, immune status, and the pathogenicity of infectious agents and their genetic makeup play important roles in the course of infection.
Infections may directly affect pregnancy and fetal development or indirectly by creating an immune imbalance. Recognition of maternal infection is critical. Microorganisms which evade all barriers may infect the fetus. The fetal anomalies, fetal loss, and other complications associated with infections can be triggered by different mechanisms, such as the induction of cytokines and chemokines, which need to be studied.
Although some infections are detrimental, exposure to certain microbes during fetal development can promote immune system maturation. Fetal immune responses, with innate and adaptive components, contribute to early protection. Besides emerging and re-emerging infections, even common infections that go unmonitored due to mild clinical symptoms pose a challenge.
We invite submissions related to infections during pregnancy (human and animal) and include: viral, bacterial, chlamydial, fungal, and protozoal, their diagnosis and prevention, immunological aspects, cytokine studies, the cord blood cytokine–receptor network, the role of immune cells, the outcomes (which may be normal or fetal anomalies, fatal to the mother or child, or leaving other health complications after birth), comorbidities, and effects on the course of pregnancy and outcome. We invite publications and case studies from virologists, bacteriologists, paediatricians, gynaecologists/obstetricians, immunologists, and others to share their research experiences and case studies, fostering multifactorial dialogues, knowledge, and improved understanding.
Prof. Dr. Shubhada Bopegamage
Prof. Dr. Katarina Gazdikova
Dr. Mira Horváthová
Dr. Peter Kascak
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
- pregnancy
- infections
- virology
- microbiology
- diagnostics
- immunology
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