Emerging Fungal Pathogens and Polymicrobial Infections: Antimicrobial Tolerance, Resistance Mechanisms, and Innovative Therapeutic Approaches
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Fungal Pathogens".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 2
Special Issue Editor
Interests: fungal pathogens; microbiology; biotechnology; environmental microbiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue will focus on the complex challenges posed by emerging fungal pathogens and their interactions with other microorganisms in polymicrobial infections. Emphasis will be placed on the molecular mechanisms underlying antimicrobial tolerance and resistance, as well as on the clinical implications of cross-kingdom biofilms. Contributions are invited on topics ranging from fundamental studies of pathogen–pathogen and pathogen–host interactions to the development of innovative models and therapeutic strategies. We also welcome research that explores novel antifungal agents, drug repurposing, enzymatic disruption of biofilms, and synthetic biology-based approaches for combating persistent infections.
Potential Topics for Contribution
- Mechanisms of tolerance and resistance in mixed microbial infections;
- Emerging fungal pathogens and their resistance profiles;
- Host immune responses to cross-kingdom biofilms;
- In vitro and in vivo models for studying polymicrobial communities;
- Omics-based approaches for understanding interspecies interactions;
- Novel antifungal and antibacterial compounds, combination therapies, and drug repurposing;
- Synthetic biology tools and enzymatic strategies for biofilm disruption;
- Epidemiology and clinical impact of polymicrobial and emerging fungal infections.
Prof. Dr. Marilene Henning Vainstein
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 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. 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 2200 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
- emerging fungal pathogens
- polymicrobial infections
- antimicrobial resistance
- novel antifungal strategies
- host–pathogen interactions
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