Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.7
4.6
Journals
Antibiotics
Special Issues
Antibiotics: Fighting Disease and Promoting Health by Embracing the Two...
share announcement

Antibiotics: Fighting Disease and Promoting Health by Embracing the Two Sides of the Same Coin

A special issue of Antibiotics (ISSN 2079-6382). This special issue belongs to the section "The Global Need for Effective Antibiotics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 12221

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chrysoula Voidarou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Animal Health, Food Hygiene and Quality, Department of Agriculture, School of Agriculture, University of Ioannina, 47150 Arta, Greece
Interests: microbiology; microbial ecology; microbiome, resistome, antimicrobial resistance, public health; food-borne diseases; food technology; food safety; nutrients; fermented foods; lactic acid bacteria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Elisavet Stavropoulou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Infectious Diseases, CHUV (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois), 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
Interests: infectious diseases; antibiotics; probiotics; microbial ecology; health; disease; microbiota; hygiene; diet; intestine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Eugenia Bezirtzoglou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Hygiene and Environmental Protection, Department of Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece
Interests: microbiome; antimicrobials; antibiotics; biofilms
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The resistance to antibiotics has been characterized as a silent yet salient pandemic. Published research from every part of the globe reveals this resistance phenomenon in either clinical or environmental isolates. Although many aspects of the bacterial survival mechanisms are thoroughly understood, questions remain. Studying the resistance effect is essential but what can contemporary science propose as possible solutions to this problem? Are there ways to increase the efficacy of the existing antibiotics? Are there other substances with satisfactory antibiotic activity? Can certain microorganisms play the role of antibiotics? Are we able to prevent the dissemination of resistance determinants through the food chain? These and other relevant questions will be addressed in this Special Issue of "Antibiotics". The term -biotic stems from the Greek word bios (βίος) , meaning life. By adding a suitable prefix to this term, e.g., antibiotic, probiotic, prebiotic, or symbiotic, perhaps we can influence life sciences towards new approaches to older problems. Researchers are invited to submit study and review articles that will contribute towards addressing these issues. 

Dr. Chrysa Voidarou
Dr. Elisavet Stavropoulou
Prof. Dr. Eugenia Bezirtzoglou
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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.

Keywords

  • antibiotics
  • probiotics
  • antibacterial activity
  • functional food
  • natural compounds
  • natural antimicrobials
  • microbiome
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • resistome

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 2628 KB  
Article
Probiotic and Postbiotic Interactions of Lactobacillus Strains with Candida albicans: Antifungal Effects Through Microbial Competition
by Andrea Vega-Vásconez, Diana Lucinda Castillo-Patiño, Javier Alberto Garza-Cervantes, Arlette Santacruz and José Rubén Morones-Ramírez
Antibiotics 2026, 15(3), 279; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15030279 - 10 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1554
Abstract
Background: Candida albicans is the most clinically significant opportunistic fungal pathogen, and the growing resistance to conventional antifungals, particularly azoles and echinocandins, highlights the urgent need for alternative therapeutic strategies. Although lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have shown inhibitory potential against C. albicans [...] Read more.
Background: Candida albicans is the most clinically significant opportunistic fungal pathogen, and the growing resistance to conventional antifungals, particularly azoles and echinocandins, highlights the urgent need for alternative therapeutic strategies. Although lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have shown inhibitory potential against C. albicans, the relative contributions of live probiotics, heat-inactivated postbiotics, and cell-free supernatants (CFSs) have rarely been compared in parallel under physiologically relevant conditions against a clinical oral isolate. Results: This study systematically evaluated the antifungal activity of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299V, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus ATCC 11842, and Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 using co-culture assays, minimum inhibitory concentration tests, agar well diffusion assays, and optical microscopy. L. plantarum achieved the strongest inhibitory effect in co-culture, reducing C. albicans viability by 2.39 log10 CFU/mL after 24 h, correlating with the greatest acidification of the culture medium. Methods: CFS from L. acidophilus inhibited fungal growth by 79.01% at native pH, declining to 28.35% upon neutralization to pH 7, confirming that antifungal efficacy is largely pH-dependent and driven by undissociated organic acids. At probiotic concentrations of 1 × 109 CFU/mL, all strains completely suppressed fungal growth. Heat-inactivated postbiotics exhibited up to 95.14% inhibition in MIC assays; however, microscopic analysis revealed coaggregation between postbiotic and fungal cells, which likely interfered with optical density measurements. Conclusions: These findings establish that LAB-mediated antifungal activity is multifactorial and assay-dependent, and highlight the importance of distinguishing between probiotic, postbiotic, and CFS effects when developing LAB-based antifungal strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotics: Fighting Disease and Promoting Health by Embracing the Two Sides of the Same Coin)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

35 pages, 6123 KB  
Article
Proteomic Analysis of the Differential Response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Cell-Free Supernatant and Lactic Acid
by Marta Bianchi, Giuseppantonio Maisetta, Semih Esin, Giovanna Batoni and Kevin Kavanagh
Antibiotics 2025, 14(12), 1271; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14121271 - 15 Dec 2025
Viewed by 950
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Postbiotics derived from lactic acid bacteria are emerging as promising antimicrobial agents due to their antibacterial, antibiofilm, and immunomodulatory properties. Among their metabolites, lactic acid (LA) is thought to play a major role in antimicrobial activity. This study investigated the proteomic response [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Postbiotics derived from lactic acid bacteria are emerging as promising antimicrobial agents due to their antibacterial, antibiofilm, and immunomodulatory properties. Among their metabolites, lactic acid (LA) is thought to play a major role in antimicrobial activity. This study investigated the proteomic response of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus to Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus cell-free supernatant (CFS) and compared it with that elicited by LA alone. Methods: Overnight bacterial cultures were exposed to sub-MIC LA or CFS (1:10 for P. aeruginosa and 1:8 for S. aureus; ~12.5–15.6 mM LA) for 6 h at 37 °C. Intracellular proteins were harvested and subsequently quantified and purified to be analysed by HPLC–MS/MS, for quantitative label-free proteomics. Results: Proteomic analysis revealed clear separation of treated samples from controls, with largely overlapping responses to CFS and LA. Hallmark acid-stress adaptations were observed, including urease-mediated pH buffering, confirming that part of the response was driven by mild organic acid. In P. aeruginosa, treatments suppressed virulence pathways (phenazines, T3SS), while shifting metabolism toward lactate utilisation and reinforcing the outer membrane (lipid A, polyamine). In S. aureus, decreased abundance of the SaeRS-regulated immune-evasion factor Sbi, together with changes in envelope, ROS and translation-related proteins, suggested a bacteriostatic-like state. S. aureus differences between CFS and LA were more pronounced; CFS uniquely increased cell-wall defences, oxidative stress (SodA, SodM) and chaperone expression (GroS, GrpE), suggesting stress beyond acidification alone. Conclusions: These findings shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial adaptation to CFS and highlight their potential as a novel antimicrobial approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotics: Fighting Disease and Promoting Health by Embracing the Two Sides of the Same Coin)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

18 pages, 14208 KB  
Article
Genomic Insights into Pediococcus pentosaceus ENM104: A Probiotic with Potential Antimicrobial and Cholesterol-Reducing Properties
by Siriwan Kompramool, Kamonnut Singkhamanan, Rattanaruji Pomwised, Nattarika Chaichana, Sirikan Suwannasin, Monwadee Wonglapsuwan, Jirayu Jitpakdee, Duangporn Kantachote, Thunchanok Yaikhan and Komwit Surachat
Antibiotics 2024, 13(9), 813; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13090813 - 27 Aug 2024
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3844
Abstract
Pediococcus pentosaceus, which often occurs in fermented foods, is characterized by numerous positive effects on the human health, such as the presence of possible probiotic abilities, the reduction of cholesterol levels, satisfactory antimicrobial activity, and certain therapeutic functions. This study was conducted [...] Read more.
Pediococcus pentosaceus, which often occurs in fermented foods, is characterized by numerous positive effects on the human health, such as the presence of possible probiotic abilities, the reduction of cholesterol levels, satisfactory antimicrobial activity, and certain therapeutic functions. This study was conducted with the goal of describing the genomic content of Pediococcus pentosaceus ENM104, a strain known for its inhibitory effects against pathogenic bacteria and its remarkable probiotic potential, including the induction of significant reductions in cholesterol levels and the production of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). The P. pentosaceus ENM104 chromosome is circular. The chromosome is 1,734,928 bp with a GC content of 37.2%. P. pentosaceus also harbors a circular plasmid, pENM104, that is 71,811 bp with a GC content of 38.1%. Functional annotations identified numerous genes associated with probiotic traits, including those involved in stress adaptation (e.g., heat stress: htpX, dnaK, and dnaJ), bile tolerance (e.g., ppaC), vitamin biosynthesis (e.g., ribU, ribZ, ribF, and btuD), immunomodulation (e.g., dltA, dltC, and dltD), and bacteriocin production (e.g., pedA). Notably, genes responsible for lowering cholesterol levels (bile salt hydrolase, bsh) and GABA synthesis (glutamate/GABA antiporter, gadC) were also identified. The in vitro assay results using cell-free supernatants of P. pentosaceus ENM104 revealed antibacterial activity against carbapenem-resistant bacteria, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Acinetobacter baumannii, and the inhibition zone diameter increased progressively over time. This comprehensive study provides valuable insights into the molecular characteristics of P. pentosaceus ENM104, emphasizing its potential as a probiotic. Its notable cholesterol-lowering, GABA-producing, and antimicrobial capabilities suggest promising applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Future research should focus on further exploring these functional properties and assessing the strain’s efficacy in clinical settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotics: Fighting Disease and Promoting Health by Embracing the Two Sides of the Same Coin)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 471 KB  
Review
Post-Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Antimicrobial Resistance
by Lucia Boccabella, Elena Gialluca Palma, Ludovico Abenavoli, Giuseppe Guido Maria Scarlata, Mariavirginia Boni, Gianluca Ianiro, Pierangelo Santori, Jan F. Tack and Emidio Scarpellini
Antibiotics 2024, 13(3), 233; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13030233 - 29 Feb 2024
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4865
Abstract
Background and aim: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a chronic issue of our Westernized society, mainly because of the uncontrolled and improper use of antimicrobials. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered and expanded AMR diffusion all over the world, and its clinical [...] Read more.
Background and aim: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a chronic issue of our Westernized society, mainly because of the uncontrolled and improper use of antimicrobials. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered and expanded AMR diffusion all over the world, and its clinical and therapeutic features have changed. Thus, we aimed to review evidence from the literature on the definition and causative agents of AMR in the frame of the COVID-19 post-pandemic era. Methods: We conducted a search on PubMed and Medline for original articles, reviews, meta-analyses, and case series using the following keywords, their acronyms, and their associations: antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective equipment. Results: AMR had a significant rise in incidence both in in-hospital and outpatient populations (ranging from 5 up to 50%) worldwide, but with a variegated profile according to the germ and microorganism considered. Not only bacteria but also fungi have developed more frequent and diffuse AMR. These findings are explained by the increased use and misuse of antibiotics and preventive measures during the first waves of the SARS-CoV2 pandemic, especially in hospitalized patients. Subsequently, the reduction in and end of the lockdown and the use of personal protective equipment have allowed for the indiscriminate circulation of resistant microorganisms from low-income countries to the rest of the world with the emergence of new multi- and polyresistant organisms. However, there is not a clear association between COVID-19 and AMR changes in the post-pandemic period. Conclusions: AMR in some microorganisms has significantly increased and changed its characteristics during and after the end of the pandemic phase of COVID-19. An integrated supranational monitoring approach to this challenge is warranted in the years to come. In detail, a rational, personalized, and regulated use of antibiotics and antimicrobials is needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Antibiotics: Fighting Disease and Promoting Health by Embracing the Two Sides of the Same Coin)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop