Dear Colleagues,

World Health Organization had signaled an alarming increase in the number of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, even pan-drug-resistant (PDR) in some cases, isolated in hospital settings, especially in patients with chronic conditions, many of these strains are involved in healthcare-associated infections.

Healthcare settings, especially intensive care units, are significant reservoirs for the emergence and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This situation arises from the heavy use of antibiotics in combination with high-density patient populations that interact frequently.

The understanding of bacterial strains isolated from hospital settings and their clinical and epidemiological significance, of the tracing methods including molecular characterization and of the resistance patterns can lead to new strategies of infection control and the development of long-term treatment strategies.

Generally, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on the epidemiology and characterization of bacteria isolated from hospital settings, as well as highlight areas for future research and intervention.

This Special Issue seeks manuscripts related to the identification, characterization (both phenotypical and genotypical), and epidemiology of bacterial strains isolated from hospital settings. Submissions on the molecular characterization of bacterial strains and the impact of bacterial infections on patient outcomes.

Dr. Maria Balasoiu
Dr. Ovidiu Zlatian
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. 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 2200 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.

• multi-drug-resistant bacteria
• pan-drug-resistant bacteria
• healthcare-associated infections
• intensive care units
• epidemiology
• molecular characterization
• patient outcomes
• tracing methods