SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Vaccination: Exploring Pathogenesis, Immune Response and Immunopathogenic Complications

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant global health burden, with SARS-CoV-2 infection causing a wide spectrum of complications, ranging from acute inflammatory syndromes to long-term sequelae. While vaccination has played a critical role in controlling the spread of the virus and reducing severe disease outcomes, rare adverse events, such as myocarditis, thrombosis, and autoimmune reactions, have been reported. Understanding the immunopathogenic mechanisms behind these complications is essential for improving treatment strategies and vaccine safety. Moreover, post-viral syndromes, including long COVID-19, remain a challenge for clinicians and researchers alike.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue, which will provide a comprehensive overview of the complications associated with both SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination. By gathering cutting-edge research on this topic, we aim to enhance our understanding of disease mechanisms, risk factors, and potential interventions.

This Special Issue aims to explore the diverse complications related to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination, with a focus on immunopathogenesis, viral persistence, clinical manifestations, and preventive or therapeutic approaches. Given the journal’s focus on vaccines, particular emphasis will be placed on vaccine-related adverse events, their underlying biological mechanisms, and potential mitigation strategies. The collection will serve as a valuable resource for scientists and clinicians seeking to improve vaccine safety and patient outcomes.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

1. Complications of SARS-CoV-2 infection (e.g., multisystem inflammatory syndrome, cardiovascular and neurological effects, long COVID-19).
2. Adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination (e.g., myocarditis, thrombosis, autoimmune manifestations).
3. Immunopathogenesis of infection- and vaccine-related complications.
4. Viral persistence and its impact on the immune response.
5. Risk factors and predictive markers for severe complications.
6. Therapeutic and preventive strategies for managing these complications.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Ronaldo B. Martins
Dr. Tamara Rodrigues
Dr. Flavio Protasio Veras
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. Vaccines 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 2700 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.

• SARS-CoV-2
• COVID-19
• vaccine adverse events
• myocarditis and thrombosis
• multisystem inflammatory syndrome
• long COVID-19
• immune response and autoimmunity
• post-vaccine complications
• therapeutic strategies
• vaccine safety