Recent Research on Antimicrobial Stewardship

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 4045

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Infectious Diseases I, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: antimicrobial stewardship

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
Interests: antimicrobial stewardship

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) is now the topic of major interest within the scope of infectious diseases. In fact, the World Health Organisation considers antimicrobial resistance one of the top ten sanitary threats and the United Nations forecasts up to 10 million deaths by 2050 caused by this alone.

Antibiotic resistance is not limited to old beta-lactams and fluoroquinolones only; now, it also involves newer antibiotics, thus limiting greatly treatment options for multi-drug resistants pathogens, especially those of the ESKAPE group (E. faecium, S. aureus, K. pneumoniae, A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa and Enterobacteriacee, the six bacteria at highest risk of developing resistance).

However, the problem is not limited to bacteria; in fact, the WHO also includes in its focus viruses, (especially HIV), fungi (whose resistance is especially concerning given their high mortality and the limited anti-fungal classes available for treatment) and parasites (with malaria foremost).

Anti-microbial resistance can be prevented and stopped only via coordinated action involving several actors. Within health systems, antimicrobial stewardship research should provide a solid basis to understand the mechanisms at the origin of resistance and a platform from which to launch programs that aim at improving health according to the One Health principles.

Dr. Erika Asperges
Dr. Pietro Valsecchi
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 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

  • antibiotic resistance
  • antifungal resistance
  • antiviral resistance
  • resistant malaria
  • MDR tubercolosis
  • antimicrobial stewardship

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.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

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

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review, Other

10 pages, 1665 KiB  
Article
Ten-Year Antimicrobial Resistance Trend in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) Isolated from Dogs and Cats Admitted to a Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Italy
by Alessandro Bellato, Patrizia Robino, Maria Cristina Stella, Daniela Scalas, Paolo Savarino, Renato Zanatta, Giovanni Re and Patrizia Nebbia
Microorganisms 2024, 12(11), 2175; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12112175 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1209
Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common occurrence in cats and dogs. Surveillance of antibiotic resistance trends helps in the prudent selection of suitable antimicrobial agents. However, there are limited available data on this matter in Italy. This retrospective study aimed to investigate [...] Read more.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common occurrence in cats and dogs. Surveillance of antibiotic resistance trends helps in the prudent selection of suitable antimicrobial agents. However, there are limited available data on this matter in Italy. This retrospective study aimed to investigate the trends of antimicrobial resistance in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) isolated from cats and dogs over ten years (January 2014 to October 2023). Three hundred thirty-nine UPEC strains were isolated from urine samples submitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Torino (Italy). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted for up to 11 classes of antibacterials, categorized into four categories (A, B, C, and D) following the European Medicine Agency guidelines for prudent antimicrobial use in animals. The results reveal a higher resistance towards compounds in categories C and D, while fewer isolates were resistant to antibacterials in categories B and A. Resistance has steadily increased from 2014 to 2019. Starting from 2020, a decline in resistance is evident in all four categories. The reduction is more pronounced for the categories subject to the greatest restrictions under European and national legislation. The change in resistance trend is in line with findings from other European countries and food-production animals in Italy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on Antimicrobial Stewardship)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research, Other

9 pages, 374 KiB  
Review
Antibiotic Stewardship Based on Colonization with Multi-Drug-Resistant Bacteria in Liver Transplantation: A Narrative Review
by Valentina Zuccaro, Paola Giordani, Francesca Binda, Erika Asperges, Elisa Farina, Mauro Viganò, Elena Gervasi, Elisabetta Pagani, Stefano Fagiuoli and Raffaele Bruno
Microorganisms 2024, 12(12), 2493; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12122493 - 3 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1047
Abstract
In solid organs post-transplant, bacterial infections can complicate the course of recovery with devastating consequences, such as graft loss and death. We provide an expert review on early post-liver transplant bacterial infections, with a focus on infections with multi-drug-resistant organism (MDRO) etiologies. Best [...] Read more.
In solid organs post-transplant, bacterial infections can complicate the course of recovery with devastating consequences, such as graft loss and death. We provide an expert review on early post-liver transplant bacterial infections, with a focus on infections with multi-drug-resistant organism (MDRO) etiologies. Best practice recommendations are derived from a combination of available evidence and expert consensus. The main challenge in managing antibiotic therapy arises in patients with severe clinical conditions but negative MDRO screening results, as well as in those with positive MDRO screening results but uncomplicated infections. With the aim of shedding light on these “gray areas”, we propose an algorithm where the patient is stratified as being at low risk or high risk of developing an MDRO infection. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on Antimicrobial Stewardship)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

8 pages, 981 KiB  
Case Report
A Rare Case and Literature Review of Pyelo-Hepatic Abscess in an Immunocompetent Patient: When Effective Source Control and Targeted Antimicrobial Therapy Might Not Be Enough
by Anita Sforza, Andrea Bonito, Giorgio Tiecco, Giovanni Moioli, Samuele Storti, Marco Lechiara, Francesco Castelli and Eugenia Quiros-Roldan
Microorganisms 2024, 12(10), 1989; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12101989 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1166
Abstract
Pyelo-hepatic abscess is a rare complication of upper urinary tract infections (UTIs). We describe a case of polymicrobial pyelo-hepatic abscess in an immunocompetent patient. A 71-year-old male patient with a double-J stent for right ureteral lithiasis was admitted in our Infectious Diseases Department [...] Read more.
Pyelo-hepatic abscess is a rare complication of upper urinary tract infections (UTIs). We describe a case of polymicrobial pyelo-hepatic abscess in an immunocompetent patient. A 71-year-old male patient with a double-J stent for right ureteral lithiasis was admitted in our Infectious Diseases Department for a pyelo-hepatic abscess. Despite a targeted antibiotic therapy against an extended spectrum betalactamase-negative Escherichia coli, the patient did not improve. Further examinations revealed a possible polymicrobial aetiology, including Candida spp. and E. coli resistant to piperacillin/tazobactam but sensitive to third-generation cephalosporins. To date, a paucity of articles regarding pyelo-hepatic abscess exist, consisting mostly of case reports. Urinary stones and a ureteral stent indwelling time exceeding 90 days are known risk factors for upper UTIs and for bacterial dissemination in contiguous organs. Pyelo-hepatic abscesses usually involve Gram-negative bacilli, but they can be polymicrobial, including fungi. As a range of factors could limit the efficacy of antibiotics inside an encapsulated lesion and might contribute to the selection of resistant species during treatment, clinicians should be aware of this complication and try to prevent this event by acting on the main modifiable risk factor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Research on Antimicrobial Stewardship)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop