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Pathogenesis, Prophylaxis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases

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A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Immunology and Immunotherapy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 4049

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Loredana Manolescu

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Midwifery and Nursing, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eroii Sanitari Boulevard, no. 8, Sector 5, 050474 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: microbiology; parasitology; virology; mycology; molecular biology; vaccines; prophylaxis in infectious diseases; TORCH

Dr. Anca Botezatu

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Guest Editor

Molecular Virology Department, Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology, 030304 Bucharest, Romania
Interests: viral genetics; DNA; DNA isolation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

“Pathogenesis, Prophylaxis, Treatment of Infectious Diseases” is a Special Issue that aims to draw the attention of the medical community toward infectious diseases. Lately, the world has been experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic, the worst pandemic that we can remember. Over the years, viruses have proven that they can be unpredictable, but bacteria, parasites and fungi can also take us by surprise. Global efforts have focused on prevention, and in some cases with success: on the 29th of March 2023, the World Health Organization announced that a total of 42 countries or territories had reached the malaria-free milestone. Yet, there is still much to be done regarding cholera epidemics, monkeypox outbreaks, tuberculosis prevalence, the emergence of the new multidrug-resistant fungus Candida auris and many more. We aim to attract as much new information as possible about infectious disease agents and their pathogenesis and treatment, and prevention and prophylaxis are highly required.

In this Special Issue, we welcome original articles and reviews providing new research data on infectious diseases, irrespective of the etiology, whether that be bacterial, viral, parasitic or mycotic, and on novel biomarkers, early diagnosis, pathology, molecular mechanisms, new therapies and prophylactic means.

Dr. Loredana Manolescu
Dr. Anca Botezatu
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. Biomedicines 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 2600 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

viral infection prophylaxis
bacterial infection prophylaxis
fungal infection pathogenesis
parasitic infection pathogenesis
novel therapies

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 279 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seroprevalence and Associated Risk Factors of Toxoplasma gondii in Patients Diagnosed with Schizophrenia: A Case–Control Cross Sectional Study

by Sebastian Grada, Alin Gabriel Mihu, Daniela Adriana Oatis, Constantin Catalin Marc, Liana Maria Chicea, Cristina Petrescu, Alina Maria Lupu and Tudor Rares Olariu

Biomedicines 2024, 12(5), 998; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12050998 - 1 May 2024

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Abstract

The protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, has been linked to several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies and risk factors associated with seroprevalence in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. This seroepidemiological study assessed 196 participants, divided into two groups. The study group consisted of 98 schizophrenic patients and was matched with 98 healthy blood donors. A questionnaire was used to gather information regarding potential risk factors associated with T. gondii seroprevalence. Results revealed a higher seroprevalence of T. gondii IgG antibodies in schizophrenic patients (69.39%, 68/98) when compared to healthy controls (51.02%, 50/98) (OR: 2.18; 95% CI: 1.21–3.9; p = 0.01). Patients with schizophrenia who consumed raw or undercooked meat (80.65%, 25/31) (OR: 3.75; 95% CI: 1.25–11.21, p = 0.02) and those with a lower educational level (77.59%, 45/58) (OR: 3.5; 95% CI: 1.59–7.54, p = 0.002) presented increased T. gondii seropositivity rates versus their control counterparts. Our findings indicate a high T. gondii IgG seroprevalence in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia compared to healthy blood donors. Factors associated with T. gondii seroprevalence were consumption of raw or uncooked meat and a lower educational attainment. This study provided the first data regarding the potential risk factors for toxoplasmosis in Romanian patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and may serve as a foundation for future research and the development of preventive strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pathogenesis, Prophylaxis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases)

11 pages, 502 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cystic Echinococcosis in Hospitalized Children from Western Romania: A 25-Year Retrospective Study

by Ana Alexandra Paduraru, Maria Alina Lupu, Calin Marius Popoiu, Maria Corina Stanciulescu, Livius Tirnea, Eugen Sorin Boia and Tudor Rares Olariu

Biomedicines 2024, 12(2), 281; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12020281 - 25 Jan 2024

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Abstract

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a cosmopolitan parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus granulosus. We aimed to assess the epidemiological aspects of the disease in hospitalized children from Western Romania, a well-known endemic area for CE. We retrospectively investigated the medical records of children hospitalized between 1998 and 2022. A total of 144 patients were included, and 58.3% were from rural areas. The number of cases increased with age, from 9% in the age group 3–5 years to 59.7% in the age group 11–17 years. The liver was more frequently affected (65.3%), and a significant association between gender and the affected organ was noted; liver cysts were more frequently diagnosed in girls, while lung cysts were recorded mostly in boys. Complications were more frequently reported in patients with pulmonary CE compared to hepatic CE (p = 0.04). Boys had more complications (16/23, 69.6%) compared to girls (7/23, 30.4%) (p = 0.03). A third of the children were hospitalized for more than 14 days, and multiple hospitalizations were recorded in 31.3% of the patients. This paper provides new insights into the epidemiologic features of cystic echinococcosis in children from Western Romania. Our findings indicate that exposure to the parasite starts in childhood, and the rate of hospitalization increases with age. Public health strategies should be implemented and permanently improved in order to lower the prevalence of CE in children. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pathogenesis, Prophylaxis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases)

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Review

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18 pages, 1328 KiB

Open AccessReview

Pathogenesis, Prophylaxis, and Treatment of Candida auris

by Madalina Preda, Razvan Daniel Chivu, Lia Mara Ditu, Oana Popescu and Loredana Sabina Cornelia Manolescu

Biomedicines 2024, 12(3), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12030561 - 1 Mar 2024

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Abstract

Candida auris poses a serious threat to infection control and patient care since it can produce invasive infections that have a high fatality rate, has been linked to outbreaks in hospital environments, and is typically resistant to several antifungal medications. Since its first description in 2009, six clades have been described. The emerging fungal pathogen possesses adhesins that allow it to adhere to host tissues and medical devices, can form biofilms, produces various hydrolytic enzymes, employs several strategies to evade host immune responses, and exhibits high genetic diversity, which may contribute to its ability to adapt to different environmental conditions and evade host defenses. C. auris is very resistant to various disinfectants and may be difficult to detect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pathogenesis, Prophylaxis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases)

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18 pages, 1249 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) and D-Dopachrome Tautomerase (D-DT/MIF-2) in Infections: A Clinical Perspective

by David Breidung, Ioannis-Fivos Megas, David Lysander Freytag, Jürgen Bernhagen and Gerrit Grieb

Biomedicines 2024, 12(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12010002 - 19 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1230

Abstract

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and its homolog, D-dopachrome tautomerase (D-DT), are cytokines that play critical roles in the immune response to various infectious diseases. This review provides an overview of the complex involvement of MIF and D-DT in bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections. The role of MIF in different types of infections is controversial, as it has either a protective function or a host damage-enhancing function depending on the pathogen. Depending on the specific role of MIF, different therapeutic options for MIF-targeting drugs arise. Human MIF-neutralizing antibodies, anti-parasite MIF antibodies, small molecule MIF inhibitors or MIF-blocking peptides, as well as the administration of exogenous MIF or MIF activity-augmenting small molecules have potential therapeutic applications and need to be further explored in the future. In addition, MIF has been shown to be a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in sepsis. Further research is needed to unravel the complexity of MIF and D-DT in infectious diseases and to develop personalized therapeutic approaches targeting these cytokines. Overall, a comprehensive understanding of the role of MIF and D-DT in infections could lead to new strategies for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of infectious diseases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pathogenesis, Prophylaxis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases)

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