Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
5.1
3.4
Journals
Infectious Disease Reports
Special Issues
Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases
share announcement

Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases

A special issue of Infectious Disease Reports (ISSN 2036-7449). This special issue belongs to the section "Infection Prevention and Control".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 10474

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Marc Ouellette

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie de l’Université Laval, Axe of Infectious and Immunological Diseases, CHU de Québec Research Centre-Université Laval (CHUL Hospital), Québec City, QC G1V4G2, Canada
Interests: genomics; antimicrobial resistance; protozoan parasites
Dr. Rabeea F. Omar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie de l’Université Laval, CHU de Québec Research Centre-Université Laval (CHUL Hospital), Québec City, QC G1V4G2, Canada
Interests: sexually transmitted infections (STIs); prevention of vaginal infections; womens’ health; HIV/AIDS; HSV
Dr. Sachiko Sato

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre de Recherche en Infectiologie de l’Université Laval, Axe of Infectious and Immunological Diseases, CHU de Québec Research Centre-Université Laval (CHUL Hospital), Québec City, QC G1V4G2, Canada
Interests: host-pathogen interaction; innate immunity; muscular dystrophy; glycobiology; single-cell analyses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The “Centre de recherche en Infectiologie” de l’Universite Laval ((CRI); Infectious Diseases Research Center at Laval University) is one of the largest centers dedicated to infectious diseases research in Canada. In 2024, the CRI will be commemorating its 50th anniversary. The CRI was established in 1974 by Dr. Michel G. Bergeron (ORCID: 0000-0002-0939-4435)—a recipient of prestigious honors, such as the Order of Canada, Order of Quebec, and Manning Award for life-time Innovation—who has published approximately 500 peer-reviewed publications.

To commemorate our research center’s 50th anniversary, the researchers of the CRI are contributing their research articles to this Special Issue of Infectious Disease Reports for spring 2024. This Special Issue will feature 9–10 peer-reviewed articles, each highlighting the discoveries and innovations made by CRI researchers, including the contribution of the founder, Dr. Bergeron, who contributed to important changes in the medical practice, such as the rapid (<1 h) molecular diagnosis of bacterial infections and resistance (the first-ever FDA-approved rapid diagnostic RT–PCR tests originated from the CRI team of Dr. Bergeron and now serve patients’ diagnostics in more than 60 countries by BD Diagnostics). The work of our CRI researchers covers all forefronts from better managing infections to addressing aspects of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections.

This Special Issue of Infectious Disease Reports is designed to enable the rapid publication and dissemination of innovative research with the aim of advancing scientific and medical knowledge and highlighting future perspectives on the better management of microbes and infectious diseases to save lives and improve the quality of life of patients.

Prof. Dr. Marc Ouellette
Dr. Rabeea F. Omar
Dr. Sachiko Sato
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. Infectious Disease Reports is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 1800 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

  • managing infections (bacterial, viral and parasitic)
  • prevention
  • rapid molecular diagnosis
  • treatment
  • innovative solutions
  • multidisciplinarity
  • closing the loop and fulfilling patient’s unmet needs

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.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices 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

14 pages, 725 KiB  
Article
Infection Rate and Risk Factors of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Retail Workers at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Quebec, Canada
by Kim Santerre, Mathieu Thériault, Nicholas Brousseau, Marc-André Langlois, Corey Arnold, Joelle N. Pelletier, Caroline Gilbert, Jean-François Masson, Mariana Baz, Denis Boudreau and Sylvie Trottier
Infect. Dis. Rep. 2024, 16(6), 1240-1253; https://doi.org/10.3390/idr16060098 - 16 Dec 2024
Viewed by 477
Abstract
Background/Objectives: During the pandemic, client-facing workers were perceived to be at greater risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study investigated the risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among a cohort of 304 retail workers in the Quebec City metropolitan area. Methods: After providing consent, participants [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: During the pandemic, client-facing workers were perceived to be at greater risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study investigated the risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection among a cohort of 304 retail workers in the Quebec City metropolitan area. Methods: After providing consent, participants were interviewed to gather information on demographic, socioeconomic, behavioural, and occupational variables. They were subsequently followed for up to five visits, scheduled every 12 ± 4 weeks. The study covered critical periods before and during the emergence of the Omicron variants and included retrospective reporting of COVID-19 symptoms and virus detection tests to capture the pandemic’s early stages. Results: During the observation period, 173 (57%) participants experienced a first episode of COVID-19. Serological evidence of recent infection was detected in 160 participants (53%), while 117 (38%) reported a positive virus detection test. In adjusted analyses, risk factors for infection included younger age, a diagnosis of lung disease, longer weekly working hours, more frequent social gatherings, and having received fewer than three doses of vaccine. Notably, the increased risk associated with younger age and longer working hours was observed only after the relaxation of public health measures in the spring of 2022. Conclusions: These data suggest that during the early years of the pandemic when strict public health measures were in place, retail work was not a significant risk factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection in Quebec City metropolitan area. These findings highlight the complex dynamics of COVID-19 transmission and the effectiveness of workplace protective measures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

18 pages, 641 KiB  
Review
The Paradigm Shift of Using Natural Molecules Extracted from Northern Canada to Combat Malaria
by Alexandra Bourgeois, Juliana Aline Souza Lemos, Stéphanie Roucheray, Audrey Sergerie and Dave Richard
Infect. Dis. Rep. 2024, 16(4), 543-560; https://doi.org/10.3390/idr16040041 - 26 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1725
Abstract
Parasitic diseases, such as malaria, are an immense burden to many low- and middle-income countries. In 2022, 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths were reported by the World Health Organization for malaria alone. Climate change, conflict, humanitarian crises, resource constraints and diverse biological [...] Read more.
Parasitic diseases, such as malaria, are an immense burden to many low- and middle-income countries. In 2022, 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths were reported by the World Health Organization for malaria alone. Climate change, conflict, humanitarian crises, resource constraints and diverse biological challenges threaten progress in the elimination of malaria. Undeniably, the lack of a commercialized vaccine and the spread of drug-resistant parasites beg the need for novel approaches to treat this infectious disease. Most approaches for the development of antimalarials to date take inspiration from tropical or sub-tropical environments; however, it is necessary to expand our search. In this review, we highlight the origin of antimalarial treatments and propose new insights in the search for developing novel antiparasitic treatments. Plants and microorganisms living in harsh and cold environments, such as those found in the largely unexploited Northern Canadian boreal forest, often demonstrate interesting properties that are not found in other environments. Most prominently, the essential oil of Rhododendron tomentosum spp. Subarcticum from Nunavik and mortiamides isolated from Mortierella species found in Nunavut have shown promising activity against Plasmodium falciparum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 778 KiB  
Review
Tackling Infectious Diseases with Rapid Molecular Diagnosis and Innovative Prevention
by Rabeea F. Omar, Maurice Boissinot, Ann Huletsky and Michel G. Bergeron
Infect. Dis. Rep. 2024, 16(2), 216-227; https://doi.org/10.3390/idr16020017 - 5 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4065
Abstract
Infectious diseases (IDs) are a leading cause of death. The diversity and adaptability of microbes represent a continuing risk to health. Combining vision with passion, our transdisciplinary medical research team has been focussing its work on the better management of infectious diseases for [...] Read more.
Infectious diseases (IDs) are a leading cause of death. The diversity and adaptability of microbes represent a continuing risk to health. Combining vision with passion, our transdisciplinary medical research team has been focussing its work on the better management of infectious diseases for saving human lives over the past five decades through medical discoveries and innovations that helped change the practice of medicine. The team used a multiple-faceted and integrated approach to control infectious diseases through fundamental discoveries and by developing innovative prevention tools and rapid molecular diagnostic tests to fulfill the various unmet needs of patients and health professionals in the field of ID. In this article, as objectives, we put in context two main research areas of ID management: innovative infection prevention that is woman-controlled, and the rapid molecular diagnosis of infection and resistance. We also explain how our transdisciplinary approach encompassing specialists from diverse fields ranging from biology to engineering was instrumental in achieving success. Furthermore, we discuss our vision of the future for translational research to better tackle IDs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1628 KiB  
Review
Management of Cytomegalovirus Infections in the Era of the Novel Antiviral Players, Letermovir and Maribavir
by Jocelyne Piret and Guy Boivin
Infect. Dis. Rep. 2024, 16(1), 65-82; https://doi.org/10.3390/idr16010005 - 18 Jan 2024
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3072
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections may increase morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Until recently, standard antiviral drugs against CMV were limited to viral DNA polymerase inhibitors (val)ganciclovir, foscarnet and cidofovir with a risk for cross-resistance. These drugs may also cause serious side effects. This [...] Read more.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections may increase morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Until recently, standard antiviral drugs against CMV were limited to viral DNA polymerase inhibitors (val)ganciclovir, foscarnet and cidofovir with a risk for cross-resistance. These drugs may also cause serious side effects. This narrative review provides an update on new antiviral agents that were approved for the prevention and treatment of CMV infections in transplant recipients. Letermovir was approved in 2017 for CMV prophylaxis in CMV-seropositive adults who received an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Maribavir followed four years later, with an indication in the treatment of adult and pediatric transplant patients with refractory/resistant CMV disease. The target of letermovir is the CMV terminase complex (constituted of pUL56, pUL89 and pUL51 subunits). Letermovir prevents the cleavage of viral DNA and its packaging into capsids. Maribavir is a pUL97 kinase inhibitor, which interferes with the assembly of capsids and the egress of virions from the nucleus. Both drugs have activity against most CMV strains resistant to standard drugs and exhibit favorable safety profiles. However, high-level resistance mutations may arise more rapidly in the UL56 gene under letermovir than low-grade resistance mutations. Some mutations emerging in the UL97 gene under maribavir can be cross-resistant with ganciclovir. Thus, letermovir and maribavir now extend the drug arsenal available for the management of CMV infections and their respective niches are currently defined. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases)
►▼ 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