Antibiotic Resistance and Survival Strategies in Pathogens
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Pathogens".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 April 2026 | Viewed by 150
Special Issue Editors
Interests: persister cells; bacterial dormancy; resuscitation mechanisms; molecular mechanisms of persistence; biochemical adaptation of bacteria; stress response in bacteria; antibiotic tolerance; non-growing bacterial states; VBNC cells; bacterial biofilms
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Antibiotic resistance poses a significant challenge to public health worldwide. While the emergence and spread of genetically encoded resistance mechanisms is well-recognized, bacterial survival strategies extend beyond resistance alone. Increasing attention is being paid to tolerance mechanisms that enable pathogens to persist under antimicrobial pressure without exhibiting traditional resistance traits.
This Special Issue of Pathogens aims to highlight recent advances in our understanding of both antibiotic resistance and bacterial tolerance in pathogenic microorganisms. We welcome contributions focusing on molecular mechanisms of resistance, the prevalence of resistant strains in clinical and environmental settings, and novel resistance genes or phenotypes.
In addition, we strongly encourage submissions addressing antibiotic tolerance and non-replicative survival strategies, such as the formation of persister cells and the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state. These phenotypes allow pathogens to withstand hostile conditions, evade immune responses, and survive antibiotic treatment, contributing to recurrent and chronic infections.
We invite original research articles, reviews, and short communications that provide new insights into how pathogenic bacteria adapt to and survive in adverse conditions. Studies proposing novel diagnostic, therapeutic, or preventive strategies targeting both resistant and tolerant populations are particularly welcome.
Researchers within microbiology, infectious diseases, molecular biology, and related fields are encouraged to contribute to this Special Issue.
Dr. Karolina Stojowska-Swędrzyńska
Dr. Dorota Kuczyńska-Wiśnik
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 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-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
- antibiotic resistance
- antibiotic tolerance
- persister cells
- VBNC state
- multidrug resistance
- resistant pathogens
- mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance
- antibiotic-resistant genes
- alternative antimicrobial strategies
- chronic infections
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