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Pathogens
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Diagnostics, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Emerging Bacterial Pathogens
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Diagnostics, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Emerging Bacterial Pathogens

A Special Issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817) belonging to the section "Bacterial Pathogens".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 2449

Editor

Dr. Joseph M. Blondeau

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
2. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
Interests: antimicrobial agents/resistance; rapid diagnostics; molecular diagnostics; bacterial infections; infection stewardship
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Infectious diseases continue to be a dominant global problem affecting all corners of the global population with varying morbidity and mortality.  Bacterial, fungal/yeast, viral and parasitic pathogens require accurate and rapid diagnosis in order to optimize patient care but also to identify and potentially contain outbreaks, support infection prevention and control, support antimicrobial and laboratory stewardship programs and to identify new or emerging infectious disease threats.  For optimization of patient care, rapid and accurate diagnostics serves a number of important roles: first, organism identification to tailor specific antimicrobial therapy; second, detection of antimicrobial resistance prompting changes to more appropriate therapy; third, the need for inpatient versus outpatient therapy thereby affecting bed management and fourth, the potential impacts on cost of therapy and therapy de-escalation.  The development of various technologies with multiplex targets truly allows for syndromic testing (e.g., respiratory, gastrointestinal, sepsis, central nervous system) of multiple pathogens (bacterial, viral, yeast) simultaneously along with the detection of resistance conferring genes, often with same day results. For STAT testing, some assays yield results in 1-2 hours. Additionally, the ongoing need for advanced laboratories to develop novel assays is critical for innovation and for emerging pathogen detection. Expanding capabilities of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization –Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF) may contribute to the exciting developments of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Clinical Microbiology. This Special Issue looks to bridge the areas of diagnostics, antimicrobial resistance and emerging bacterial pathogens with a collection of peer-reviewed articles that may be primary research papers, review articles or opinion pieces.

Dr. Joseph M. Blondeau
Guest Editor

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pathogens 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 2400 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 (AMR)
  • emerging bacterial pathogens
  • rapid diagnostics
  • molecular diagnostics
  • infection stewardship

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1944 KB  
Article
Interaction of β-Caryophyllene with a Simplified Membrane Model and Its Growth-Inhibitory Effect Against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922
by Noé Luiz-Santos, Juan Luis Morales-Landa, Jesús Carlos Ruiz-Suárez and Estefania Lazcano-Díaz
Pathogens 2026, 15(9), 887; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens15090887 - 24 Aug 2026
Viewed by 327
Abstract
The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria highlights the need for alternative membrane-active compounds with favorable safety profiles. β-Caryophyllene (BCP), a bicyclic sesquiterpene, has demonstrated antimicrobial effects; however, its biological responses in Gram-negative bacteria and associated membrane interactions remain insufficiently characterized. In [...] Read more.
The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria highlights the need for alternative membrane-active compounds with favorable safety profiles. β-Caryophyllene (BCP), a bicyclic sesquiterpene, has demonstrated antimicrobial effects; however, its biological responses in Gram-negative bacteria and associated membrane interactions remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, the growth inhibitory effect of BCP against E. coli ATCC 25922 was evaluated through OD595 growth kinetics, while hemocompatibility was assessed using sheep erythrocytes, and cannabidiol (CBD) was included as a comparative control. To investigate membrane-associated effects, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was performed using DPPE/DPPG (8:2) bilayers as a simplified phospholipid membrane model. BCP inhibited bacterial growth with an IC50 of 0.83 mg/mL and exhibited low hemolytic activity (2.92% at 1 mg/mL). DSC analyses revealed concentration-dependent shifts in phase transition temperature and reductions in transition enthalpy (ΔH kJ/mol) 36% and 82% for BCP-5 and CBD-10 according to the control, indicating alterations in lipid organization and membrane thermotropic behavior. In contrast, CBD showed greater growth inhibitory potency (IC50 of 0.042 mg/mL) but more pronounced disruption of membrane organization. Overall, these findings suggest that BCP exhibits moderate growth inhibition associated with membrane related effects and low hemolytic activity, providing insights into the relationship between physicochemical properties, membrane interactions, and biological responses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Emerging Bacterial Pathogens)
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22 pages, 1575 KB  
Article
Fosfomycin Resistance Dynamics in Major Uropathogens: A 2013–2025 Integrated Disease Surveillance of Multidrug-Resistant, Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing, Non-Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase, and Enterococcal Urinary Isolates
by Umar Saeed, Rizwan Uppal, Gohar Zaman, Muhammad Rehan Uppal, Zsolt Jenő Szepesváry, Aftab Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Usman Qamar, Zuhaib Ali and Zahra Zahid Piracha
Pathogens 2026, 15(7), 758; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens15070758 - 20 Jul 2026
Viewed by 555
Abstract
Urinary tract infections are among the most common bacterial infections encountered in clinical practice, with Escherichia coli representing the dominant urinary pathogen. Increasing detection of multidrug-resistant and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing uropathogens has narrowed empirical treatment options and renewed interest in fosfomycin. However, local [...] Read more.
Urinary tract infections are among the most common bacterial infections encountered in clinical practice, with Escherichia coli representing the dominant urinary pathogen. Increasing detection of multidrug-resistant and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing uropathogens has narrowed empirical treatment options and renewed interest in fosfomycin. However, local long-term surveillance data on fosfomycin susceptibility remain limited in Pakistan. This study evaluated temporal changes in major urinary isolate categories and fosfomycin susceptibility patterns within a diagnostic laboratory network in Pakistan from 2013 to 2025. An exploratory molecular sub-analysis was also performed to assess selected resistance-associated transcript patterns in archived fosfomycin-susceptible and fosfomycin-resistant isolates. A retrospective laboratory-based, isolate-level analysis was conducted using anonymized urine culture records. The source database included 34,230 urine sample records, from which eligible culture-positive urinary isolates with required organism classification and fosfomycin susceptibility data were included in the final analytical dataset. Analyses were performed across predefined mutually exclusive study intervals. Organism categories included non-ESBL E. coli, ESBL-producing E. coli, laboratory-coded ESBL E. coli 24 variant, Klebsiella spp., and Enterococcus spp. The ESBL E. coli 24 variant was treated as a laboratory reporting category, not as a genomically confirmed clone or sequence type. Fosfomycin resistance was evaluated using interval-based comparisons and odds ratios. A selected subset of 24 archived isolates, including fosfomycin-susceptible and fosfomycin-resistant E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, was analyzed by RT-qPCR for glpT, uhpT, murA, fosA, fosA3, and blaCTX-M transcript abundance. The final isolate-level analytical dataset included 17,978 eligible urinary isolates. Among urine records with available sex data, female-associated records represented the majority throughout the study period, but this finding reflects laboratory record distribution rather than patient-level UTI prevalence. E. coli remained the predominant urinary isolate category. Non-ESBL E. coli declined across study intervals, whereas ESBL-associated E. coli categories represented a larger proportion of isolates in later years. The laboratory-coded ESBL E. coli 24 variant increased in later intervals, although this finding requires cautious interpretation because confirmatory molecular typing was not performed. Fosfomycin resistance showed a non-linear temporal pattern: resistance decreased from the early to the middle interval and then increased markedly to 23.8% during 2021–2025, while susceptibility declined to 60.6% in the same interval. Compared with the middle interval, isolates from 2021–2025 had higher odds of fosfomycin resistance (OR = 3.64, 95% CI: 3.23–4.12; p < 0.001). In the exploratory molecular subset, resistant isolates showed lower transcript abundance of selected uptake-associated genes, particularly glpT and uhpT, and higher expression of selected fosfomycin- and ESBL-associated genes, including fosA, fosA3, and blaCTX-M. These findings represent transcriptional associations in selected isolates and do not establish definitive resistance mechanisms. Urinary isolates in this diagnostic-network dataset showed a temporal shift toward greater representation of laboratory-reported ESBL-associated E. coli categories and a marked increase in fosfomycin resistance during 2021–2025. The findings support continued local surveillance of urinary pathogens and periodic reassessment of fosfomycin susceptibility for antimicrobial-stewardship guidance. The molecular findings should be interpreted as exploratory transcriptional observations because they were based on a small selected isolate subset and were not supported by genomic, mutational, uptake, or functional validation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Emerging Bacterial Pathogens)
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16 pages, 2671 KB  
Article
Bactericidal Activity of Pradofloxacin and Other Antimicrobials Against Swine Respiratory Bacterial Pathogens
by Joseph M. Blondeau and Shantelle D. Fitch
Pathogens 2025, 14(11), 1171; https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14111171 - 17 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 941
Abstract
Swine respiratory disease (SRD) is a complex interaction whereby viral infection predisposes the host to secondary bacterial pulmonary invasion, which may be fatal. Antimicrobial agents remain an important therapy and serve to reduce morbidity and mortality in treated animals. Pradofloxacin is the newest [...] Read more.
Swine respiratory disease (SRD) is a complex interaction whereby viral infection predisposes the host to secondary bacterial pulmonary invasion, which may be fatal. Antimicrobial agents remain an important therapy and serve to reduce morbidity and mortality in treated animals. Pradofloxacin is the newest of the veterinary antibiotics to be approved to treat SRD. It is a dual-targeting fluoroquinolone with in vitro and clinical activity against Gram-negative and -positive bacteria, along with atypical agents including anaerobes. In this study, we compared the killing of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida, and Streptococcus suis by pradofloxacin and comparator antibiotics in a 3 h kill assay, using four clinically relevant drug concentrations. Pradofloxacin was bactericidal against the three pathogens, with kill rates ranging from 94.4 to 99.9% (A. pleuropneumoniae) following 15–20 min of exposure to the maximum serum and maximum tissue drug concentration. For P. multocida, the kill rates were 68.7–96.9% following 5–30 min of drug exposure at the maximum serum drug concentration, and 91.7% following 5 min of drug exposure at the maximum tissue drug concentration. For S. suis, pradofloxacin killed 92.4–99.4% and 71.6–97.1% of cells following 60–180 min of drug exposure at the maximum serum and maximum tissue drug concentration, respectively. Pradofloxacin appears to be an important addition to the drugs currently available for treating SRD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Diagnostics, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Emerging Bacterial Pathogens)
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