Advancements in Understanding and Managing Human Herpesvirus Infections and Diseases
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 December 2025 | Viewed by 19
Special Issue Editors
Interests: microbiome; probiotics; preventive medicine; artificial intelligence in medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to invite you to contribute an original research article to a Special Issue titled “Advancements in Understanding and Managing Human Herpesvirus Infections and Diseases” in Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817; CODEN: PATHCD; https://www.mdpi.com/journal/pathogens).
Herpesviruses are a family of DNA viruses capable of causing diverse diseases in humans. A hallmark of these pathogens is their ability to establish lifelong latent infections, persisting in the host and reactivating under conditions of immune suppression or stress. Among the most clinically significant herpesviruses are the following:
- Herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1/HSV-2)primarily cause oral and genital herpes, respectively, characterized by recurrent blistering lesions.
- Varicella-zoster virus (VZV)triggers chickenpox (varicella) in children and may reactivate later in life as shingles (herpes zoster), potentially leading to complications such as postherpetic neuralgia or pneumonia.
- Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)is associated with infectious mononucleosis and is etiologically linked to malignancies, including Burkitt’s lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and certain lymphoproliferative disorders. Chronic active EBV infection can further result in severe immunological dysregulation.
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV)poses the risk of congenital infections (e.g., hearing loss, neurodevelopmental impairments) and causes severe disease in immunocompromised individuals.
- Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)typically causes roseola in children but may reactivate in immunodeficient patients, leading to encephalitis.
- HHV-8is the causative agent of Kaposi’s sarcoma and other lymphoproliferative cancers, particularly in patients with HIV/AIDS.
The substantial disease burden imposed by herpesviruses underscores the critical need for advances in vaccine development, immunological research, and therapeutic innovations. Multidisciplinary efforts—spanning virology, immunology, and public health—are essential to mitigating transmission, managing latent reservoirs, and addressing long-term sequelae. Continued research has the potential to alleviate the global health impact of these persistent pathogens.
Building on this foundation, we invite submissions of original research articles, reviews, and letters to the editor for this Pathogens Special Issue. We particularly encourage contributions that explore the following:
- Immunopathogenesisof herpesvirus infections;
- Viral biologyand host–pathogen interactions;
- Antiviral therapiesand resistance mechanisms;
- Innovative treatment strategies;
- Vaccine developmentagainst human herpesviruses.
Manuscripts addressing these key areas will receive priority consideration. We look forward to receiving your contributions for this Special Issue.
Dr. Francesco Broccolo
Dr. Jing Wu
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. 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
- herpesviruses
- antiviral therapies
- immunopathogenesis
- treatment
- vaccine
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