Insights into Microbial Infections, Co-Infections, and Comorbidities
A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 765
Special Issue Editors
2. Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences, Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4001, South Africa
Interests: immunology; antimicrobial resistance; co-infections
Interests: human genetics; infectious diseases; epigenetics; polymorphisms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Microbial infections and co-infections are major global health concerns, significantly contributing to disease burden and mortality worldwide. Co-infections—the simultaneous occurrence of two or more infections within a host—introduce unique challenges in understanding disease dynamics, progression, and management due to intricate pathogen–pathogen and pathogen–host interactions. These interactions often overlap with, impact on, or are impacted by comorbidities, particularly noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, as well as biological factors such as dysbiosis and genetics. These NCDs alter host susceptibility, immune responses, and treatment outcomes, further complicating the management of microbial infections.
This Special Issue aims to explore the multifaceted relationships between microbial infections, co-infections, and comorbidities, emphasizing biological and mechanistic insights, along with real-world applications. Topics of interest include the molecular, cellular, and immunological basis of pathogenesis; pathogen–pathogen and host–pathogen interactions during co-infections; and the role of comorbidities/biological factors and antimicrobial resistance in complicating treatment strategies. Research addressing the diagnostic challenges of detecting multiple infections and their interplay with NCDs is also highly relevant. Furthermore, the Special Issue welcomes studies on the ecological and biophysical, including exposomic and physiological, impacts of microbial communities in the context of these diseases, including their role in modulating host immune responses and influencing therapeutic outcomes.
We particularly encourage submissions that address the confluence of co-infections with comorbidities and that highlight innovative approaches to combating these health challenges, including novel diagnostic tools, therapeutic strategies, and public health interventions. Interdisciplinary studies that integrate microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, and clinical perspectives are strongly encouraged. The findings presented in this Special Issue aim to contribute to global efforts to reduce the burden of infectious diseases and improve health outcomes for patients with complex disease profiles.
Dr. Zilungile Mkhize-Kwitshana
Dr. Veron Ramsuran
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
- antimicrobial resistance
- cancer
- cardiovascular diseases
- co-infections
- comorbidities
- complex disease profiles
- diabetes
- infection pathogenesis
- immune modulation
- microbiome and co-infections
- noncommunicable diseases
- pathogen interactions
- pneumonia
- pulmonary infections
- sepsis
- stress tolerance
- therapeutics
- vaccine development
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