The 2nd Edition of Environmental and Occupational Exposure to Microbial Contaminants

Dear Colleagues,

Exposure to environmental microorganisms and microbial contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and their toxic by-products (e.g., endotoxins, mycotoxins, and other metabolites) may cause various infections, respiratory diseases, inflammations, allergic responses, and cancers. Human exposure to these microbial contaminants occurs through various exposure routes, such as inhalation, ingestion, or dermal uptake. Our understanding of the links between human and animal health and environmental microbes is still at the early stage. Recent metagenomic studies have shown that the environmental microbial diversity is far more complex than we previously thought. We need more information from multiple disciplines to advance our understanding of how microbial communities are influenced by our microenvironment (e.g., our buildings and workplaces) as well as by the changing global climate. At the same time, we need more research efforts to better understand how the environment and biodiversity determine and influence human health through environmental microbiota. To address all these research gaps, we need more sophisticated tools that can quantify microbial exposures more accurately, identify environmental microorganisms leading to information on microbial community composition, and yield quantitative data on microbial abundance in the community. Last year, we organized the first edition of this Special Issue (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph/special_issues/Microbial_Contaminants). We believe that much more can still be said on this topic, as research advances rapidly thanks to new knowledge.

This Special Issue seeks research papers on various aspects of microbial exposure through air, water, and soil in buildings and various work environments, and on the links between microbial exposure levels, microbial diversity, human health, and the health of workers. We especially encourage the submission of interdisciplinary work and multi-country collaborative research. We also encourage the submission of manuscripts related to new tools, such as sensors and newly designed air samplers for assessing human exposure to environmental microbial contaminants.

Dr. Atin Adhikari
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 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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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.