Antibiotics, Antibiotic Alternatives, and Combination Antimicrobial Therapy (Volume 2)

Dear Colleagues,

Antibiotics play a significant role in treating and preventing infections caused by microbial agents if used precisely. However, due to the fast development of drug resistance, treatment becomes ineffective and risks the livelihood of humans and animals. To worsen the situation, the invention and production of new antibiotics are at an alarmingly low rate.

Some of the factors which contribute to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance include the presence of resistant microbial strains in the environment, antimicrobial usage and other related aspects in the community, and antimicrobial use in food-producing animals [1].

Hence, intervention mechanisms should be designed to combat antibacterial resistance globally. Alternatives to the currently available drugs or other means of interventions, including drug combinations [2], are required to limit drug resistance in microbial agents. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic integration studies could play a significant role in increasing the efficacy and potency of currently available drugs.

Hence, the focus of this Special Issue (Volume II), titled “Antibiotics, Antibiotic Alternatives, and Combination Antimicrobial Therapy (Volume 2)”, in the journal Pathogens, is to promote studies that focus on the intervention mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, provide antibacterial alternatives and antibacterial enhancers to the currently available antimicrobials, study the integration of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, including the efficacy and dosage formulation of the currently available antibiotics, and combination therapies, which are effective against drug-resistant pathogens. The Special Issues (Volume 2) will also cover antiseptics and disinfectants that kill viruses, bacteria, fungi, and ectoparasites [3].

1. Prestinaci, F.; Pezzotti, P.; Pantosti, A. Antimicrobial resistance: A global multifaceted phenomenon. Pathog. Glob. Health 2015, 109, 309–318, doi: 10.1179/2047773215Y.0000000030.

2. Birhanu, B.T.; Lee, E.-B.; Park, S.-C. Evaluation of the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic integration of marbofloxacin in combination with methyl gallate against Salmonella Typhimurium in rats. PLoS ONE, 2020, 15, e0234211, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234211.

3. Rhee, C.H.; Park, S.-C.; Her, M.; Jeong, W. Surrogate Selection for Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Disinfectant Efficacy Tests by Simultaneous Comparison of Bacteriophage MS2 and Bovine Enterovirus Type 1. Viruses, 2022, 14, 2590, doi: 10.3390/v14122590.

Prof. Dr. Seung-Chun Park
Dr. Chae Hong Rhee
Guest Editors

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• combinational antibacterial therapy
• antibacterial enhancers
• pharmacokinetics of antibacterial agents
• antiseptics
• disinfectants

• Antibiotics, Antibiotic Alternatives, and Combination Antimicrobial Therapy in Pathogens (10 articles)