Exploring Evolutionary Mechanisms of Pathogens and Hosts
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 20
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
In the courses of long-term co-evolution, hosts and pathogens have developed a stable dynamic interaction. When pathogens exert selective pressure, the host deploys diverse defense responses to counteract the threat—such as immune clearance ( short-term, at the individual level ) or the adaptive evolution of disease-resistant genes (long-term, at the population level). Conversely, pathogens evolve strategies to evade or suppress the host’s immune defense systems. Exploring the rapid evolution events of pathogens and the adaptive strategies of hosts not only deepens our understanding of disease transmission but also provides new insights for the development of targeted anti-pathogen drugs.
This special issue welcomes original research articles and review papers covering all aspects of "Exploring Evolutionary Mechanisms of Pathogens and Hosts," including but not limited to: the interaction between pathogens and hosts, co-evolution mechanisms, and studies on host adaptive responses or evolutionary processes in the field.
Dr. Yan Lu
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
- pathogen-host interaction
- pathogen evolution
- host defense responses
- adaptive evolution
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
