Parasitic Infections and Antiparasitic Strategies

Dear Colleagues,

Parasitic infections caused by protozoa and helminths remain a major global health burden, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries and generating substantial socioeconomic costs. For most parasitic diseases, effective vaccines are still unavailable, making chemotherapy the cornerstone of disease control. Antiparasitic drugs are essential not only for clinical management, reducing morbidity and mortality, but also for limiting transmission and supporting disease control and elimination programs.

Despite these advances, the current therapeutic arsenal remains inadequate. Many available drugs are associated with high toxicity, severe adverse effects, prolonged treatment regimens, and the increasing emergence of drug-resistant parasites. These limitations compromise treatment adherence, reduce therapeutic efficacy, and highlight the urgent need for innovative approaches in antiparasitic drug discovery.

This Special Issue aims to address critical questions on how to accelerate the discovery of more effective, safe, and accessible antiparasitic therapies. Particular emphasis will be placed on the identification of novel biochemical pathways and the evaluation of synergistic drug combinations as strategies to overcome current therapeutic limitations.

We welcome original research articles, short communications, and reviews addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Identification of new molecular targets and in silico drug design;
• In vitro and in vivo evaluation of synthetic, natural, or repurposed compounds;
• Nanotechnology and advanced drug delivery systems;
• Parasite resistance mechanisms and host–parasite interactions;
• Omics approaches, systems biology, and biomarker discovery;
• Immunotherapeutic strategies and host-directed therapies;
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning in antiparasitic drug discovery.

Dr. Silvia Amaral Gonçalves Da Silva
Dr. Edezio Ferreira da Cunha Junior
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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