Climate Change and Antibiotic Resistance

Dear Colleagues,

There has been growing interest in the potential impacts of climate change and the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of fungi and bacteria that are more sensitive to heat exposure due to changing climate variables, particularly the rising ambient temperature. These microorganisms can be found in natural and hospital environments and can cause opportunistic infections in at-risk groups such as the elderly, young, and immunocompromised individuals. Understanding their similarity in cell response to heat and antibiotics is crucial in preventing, detecting, and treating such infections.

One of the most significant and frequently identified bacteria in environmental and human samples is Acinetobacter baumannii. Due to the expected temperature increases caused by global warming, this bacterium will experience severe range expansion in several regions. Risk maps created for 2050 and 2070 using two alternative CPRs indicate that various areas will be at risk of this bacterium due to the aforementioned temperature increase. Therefore, conducting further data analyses and GIS evaluations of these results is essential, especially locally.

Candida auris is responsible for infections such as UTIs in children and adults. It is more thermotolerant than other yeasts and may have appeared due to global warming.

In addition, the air conditioning systems of intensive care units and the construction of new hospitals must adapt to climate change as our times require.

Research is needed to understand how interactions between environmental microbes shape virulence and resistance on our warming planet. An increased understanding of the interrelatedness between climate change and microorganisms could help improve prevention, detection, and treatment efforts.

Because of unanswered questions, this Special Issue will bring together papers focusing on the impact of climate change on the interactions between environmental organisms and how this shapes virulence and resistance.

Dr. Paola Di Carlo
Guest Editor

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.

• climate change
• antibiotic resistance
• bacterial infections
• global warming