Infection, Colonization, and Spread of Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Dear Colleagues,

Drug resistance is a global challenge to public health and development, posing a significant threat by escalating the risk of disease transmission, severe illness, disability, and death. In 2019, it was estimated that bacterial drug resistance contributed to almost 5 million deaths worldwide. This peril is exacerbated by human activity, particularly the misuse and overuse of drugs in treating, preventing, or controlling infections across humans, animals, and plants. Among the most prevalent types are third-generation, cephalosporin-resistant E. coli and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Addressing drug resistance necessitates a multifaceted approach, involving targeted actions across various sectors, including human health, food production, animal welfare, and environmental stewardship. Key priorities in combating drug resistance within human health include preventing infections to curtail inappropriate antimicrobial use, ensuring widespread access to accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment, and fostering strategic initiatives such as surveillance programs to monitor drug resistance patterns and antimicrobial consumption. Additionally, promoting research and development for innovative vaccines, diagnostics, and medicines is crucial.

Despite these efforts, addressing the unequal impact of drug resistance across different populations remains a challenge, largely due to insufficient understanding of its molecular characteristics and limited data availability, including disaggregated data based on age, gender, socioeconomic status, and other pertinent factors. Moreover, significant knowledge gaps persist, hindering the formulation of evidence-based strategies to effectively combat drug resistance.

In this Special Issue, advancements in comprehending the ecology, physiology, genetics, and epidemiology of drug-resistant bacteria will be showcased. Utilizing both classic and molecular genetic methodologies, these advancements aim to provide insights that can facilitate the manipulation of selected organisms for various biotechnological applications, including bioremediation, biofuel production, and pharmaceutical development.

Dr. Jialing Lin
Guest Editor

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• antibiotic resistance
• bacterial infection
• bacterial colonization
• bacterial spread
• hospital-acquired infections
• community-acquired infections