New Insights into Virulence Strategies of Pathogenic Bacteria
A special issue of Pathogens (ISSN 2076-0817).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 134

Special Issue Editors
Interests: anthrax; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; CRISPR; diagnostics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Director of the MGH Molecular Surgical Laboratory, Center for Surgery, Innovation and Bioengineering, Massachusetts General Hospital, 340 Thier Research Building, 50 Blossom Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Interests: bacterial pathogenesis; ESKAPEE pathogens; host-pathogen interactions; One Health; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; quorum sensing; MvfR/pqsABCDE quorum sensing system; anti-virulence therapeutics; anti-infectives; antibiotic tolerance; non-vertebrate and vertebrate preclinical models of bacterial infections; burns; trauma injury; infection risk-predictive biomarkers in humans
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are excited to announce the Special Issue, “New Insights into Virulence Strategies of Pathogenic Bacteria”, in MDPI’s Pathogens. This Special Issue explores pathogenic bacteria' sophisticated mechanisms to cause disease, evade the host immune system, and establish infections. We invite researchers studying various bacterial pathogens, encompassing Gram-negative and Gram-positive organisms, including ESKAPE pathogens, M. tuberculosis, and B. anthracis, to submit their research to this Special Issue.
Understanding bacterial virulence strategies is critical for developing effective diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive measures against bacterial infections. This Special Issue provides a platform to present and exchange groundbreaking research findings related to bacterial virulence's molecular and genetic basis, the interaction between bacterial pathogens and host cells, and the immune evasion tactics these pathogens employ.
Contributions to this Special Issue can cover a broad spectrum of topics, including, but not limited to:
- Molecular mechanisms of bacterial virulence;
- Host–pathogen interactions and immune evasion;
- Role of biofilms in chronic infections;
- Horizontal gene transfer and the evolution of virulence;
- Novel therapeutic approaches targeting virulence factors;
- Strategies to combat antibiotic resistance;
- Metabolic adaptation and interaction during infection.
This Special Issue aims to foster a comprehensive understanding of bacterial pathogenesis by gathering research on diverse pathogenic bacteria. Researchers from various disciplines, including microbiology, immunology, infectious diseases, and clinical research, are encouraged to submit their original research papers, clinical data, meta-analyses, and review articles to this Special Issue of Pathogens. Together, let us advance our knowledge of bacterial virulence strategies and develop innovative solutions to combat bacterial infections.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Ankur Bothra
Prof. Dr. Laurence G. Rahme
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
- bacterial pathogens
- virulence
- antibiotic resistance
- ESKAPE
- biofilm
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