Artificial Intelligence in Infectious Diseases: From Pathogen Recognition to Personalized Medicine
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 February 2026 | Viewed by 57
Special Issue Editors
Interests: host/pathogen interactions; T-cell response; serology; respiratory infections; inflammation; immune monitoring
Interests: healthy ageing; bioinformatics; biostatistics; epidemiology; influenza; infectious diseases; deep learning; machine; public health
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the management of infectious diseases by bridging pathogen detection and personalized treatment strategies. Advanced machine learning models excel in analyzing vast datasets, enabling rapid identification of pathogens through genomic sequencing or imaging. For instance, AI-powered algorithms can detect subtle patterns in microscopy images or predict viral mutations, accelerating diagnostics and outbreak tracking.
Beyond pathogen recognition, AI enhances disease surveillance by integrating real-time data from global health databases, social media, and environmental sensors to forecast epidemics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, AI models predicted viral spread and optimized resource allocation, demonstrating their public health utility.
In personalized medicine, AI tailors therapies to individual patients by analyzing patient-specific factors such as genetics, immune responses, and comorbidities. Predictive models identify high-risk individuals and recommend targeted interventions, while AI-driven drug discovery platforms streamline the development of novel antivirals or vaccines.
However, challenges like data privacy, algorithmic bias, and model interpretability require rigorous oversight. Collaborative efforts among clinicians, data scientists, and policymakers are essential to harness AI’s full potential ethically. As AI evolves, it promises a paradigm shift—transforming infectious disease management from reactive to proactive, and ultimately, delivering precision care for global populations.
This Special Issue covers the following topics:
- AI approaches for predicting host–pathogen interactions at the molecular level;
- Tools for predicting disease severity and patient outcomes;
- Machine learning for faster and more accurate infectious disease diagnostics;
- AI applications in vaccine design, development, and monitoring.
Dr. Giorgio Fedele
Dr. Annapina Palmieri
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
- machine learning
- infectious disease
- artificial intelligence
- immune responses
- host-pathogen interactions
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.
