Thinking Inside the Host: Strategies of Facultative Intracellular Bacteria

Dear Colleagues,

Facultative intracellular bacteria have evolved sophisticated mechanisms that allow them to invade host cells, evade immune defenses, hijack cellular processes, and utilize intracellular compartments as safe niches for replication and persistence. From Acinetobacter baumannii to Salmonella, Listeria, Shigella, Escherichia coli, Legionella, and others, these pathogens use the intracellular environment to their advantage, neutralizing intracellular antimicrobial defenses and eventually determining the fate of the host cell.

This Special Issue welcomes original research articles and reviews that elucidate the molecular strategies these pathogens employ to invade, persist, and disseminate inside their eukaryotic hosts. Particular emphasis will be placed on intracellular trafficking, molecular mechanisms, immune evasion, niche establishment, and cell-to-cell spreading. We particularly welcome studies on the impacts of such intracellular lifestyles on antibiotic tolerance, chronic infections, and co-evolution with the host.

Join us in advancing our understanding of how these microorganisms “think inside the host” and contribute to the development of novel therapeutic approaches against pathogens for which current therapeutic options remain limited.

Prof. Dr. Cecilia Ambrosi
Guest Editor

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