Infection and Treatment of Antibiotic-Resistant ESKAPE Pathogens

Dear Colleagues,

The global challenge posed by bacterial infections, often accompanied by intricate antibiotic resistance patterns, significantly impacts human health. Antibiotics, while effective, wield a double-edged sword: they eliminate germs but simultaneously exert selective pressure on bacteria to evolve resistance.

Bacterial infections caused by multi-resistant pathogens (ESKAPE), including Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacter spp., have emerged as a major global health crisis during the past few decades.

Furthermore, antibiotic use disrupts the gut microbiota, fostering a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes and organisms, along with complications like antibiotic-associated diarrhea and superinfections. In contrast, pathogen-specific alternatives offer distinct advantages over antibiotics. Firstly, they allow bacterial growth within the host without imposing selection pressure or resistance. Secondly, these alternatives specifically target particular bacteria, leaving the host’s regular flora unaffected.

This Special Issue aims to compile novel research on alternative therapies combating bacterial infections. We seek studies on novel antimicrobials and innovative antibiotic alternatives, either used independently or in conjunction with traditional antibiotics. The precise characterizations of antimicrobial agents effective against multidrug-resistant infections are of particular interest. Additionally, we invite contributions in the form of review articles or concise reflections on these critical topics.

We eagerly await your submissions.

Dr. Peng Gao
Dr. Jie Shen
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. Antibiotics 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 2900 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.

• antibiotics
• alternatives
• anti-virulence
• antibiotic adjuvant
• pathogen-specific agent
• vaccine
• bacteriophage
• microbiome modulator
• anti-biofilm
• lysin
• materials
• nanoparticles