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Infectious Diseases: Emerging Diagnostic Methods, Updated Treatment Protocols and New...
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Infectious Diseases: Emerging Diagnostic Methods, Updated Treatment Protocols and New Antimicrobial Agents

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Infection Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 September 2024 | Viewed by 8789

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Andreas G. Tsantes

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Guest Editor
1. Laboratory of Haematology and Blood Bank Unit, “Attiko” Hospital, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15772 Athens, Greece
2. Department of Microbiology, 'Saint Savvas' Oncology Hospital, 11635 Athens, Greece
Interests: clinical microbiology; infectious diseases; antimicrobial resistance; laboratory medicine; laboratory hematology; transfusion medicine; hemostasis; thrombosis; biostatistics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dimitrios V. Papadopoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Academic Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medicine, Konstandopoulio General Hospital, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Interests: orthopedics; musculoskeletal infections; hand surgery; musculoskeletal trauma; spine diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rozeta Sokou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, “Agios Panteleimon” General Hospital of Nikea, Piraeus, Greece
Interests: neonatal sepsis; SARS-CoV-2; infectious diseases; neonatal sepsis diagnosis decision-making; inflammatory biomarkers; congenital infections; neonatal sepsis-associated coagulopathy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Vanesa Bellou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Respiratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece
Interests: epidemiology; respiratory medicine; pulmonary disease; pneumonia; lower respiratory infection; airways; risk of bias; prognosis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted in the most prominent way the devastating impact of infections in healthcare systems across the world. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms involved in bacterial, viral, and fungal infections is fundamental and may lead to the development of novel diagnostic methods and new treatment protocols. Over the past few decades, major advances in emerging diagnostic modalities based on molecular techniques have significantly improved the detective accuracy for various pathogens. With the advent of these molecular techniques, such as the next-generation sequencing, the sensitivity of the current diagnostic protocols has significantly increased, while the unique molecular properties of each pathogen allow for a more accurate identification of the isolated microorganism in any specimen. Other biomarkers such as the soluble tumor necrosis factor and the B-cell activating factor in musculoskeletal infections, or the peptide procalcitonin in respiratory infections, also have promising results and can help in detection of such infections, or in distinguishing bacteria from viral infections. Moreover, the devastating impact of increased microbial resistance due to the uncontrolled use of antibiotics has led to the development of multiresistant pathogens. These pathogens have increased the mortality rate of infected patients, especially in intensive care units. However, the development of novel antibiotic agents with extended coverage to these multiresistant pathogens has provided clinicians with additional options in their fight against these fatal infections.

Our target in this Special Issue is to gather up-to-date information on the pathogenetic mechanisms that are involved in the development of infectious diseases, and to present recent advances in diagnostic modalities and treatment protocols for infections. This Special Issue mainly focuses on basic research articles that link the pathophysiology of infectious diseases with emerging diagnostic modalities and treatment strategies.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in JCM.

Dr. Andreas G. Tsantes
Dr. Dimitrios V. Papadopoulos
Dr. Rozeta Sokou
Dr. Vanesa Bellou
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. Biology 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 2700 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

  • infectious diseases
  • pathophysiology
  • risk factors
  • prognosis
  • diagnostic methods
  • biomarkers
  • molecular techniques
  • treatment protocols
  • novel antibiotic

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 677 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Polymerase Chain Reaction and Urine Culture in the Evaluation of Patients with Complex Urinary Tract Infections
by Deepak A. Kapoor, Mara R. Holton, Jason Hafron, Rima Aljundi, Bernadette Zwaans and Mitchell Hollander
Biology 2024, 13(4), 257; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13040257 - 13 Apr 2024
Viewed by 421
Abstract
To compare organism identification using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and urine culture (UC) in patients with complex urinary tract infections (cUTIs), we reviewed the results of 3395 patients seen during 2022 with cUTI who underwent concomitant PCR and UC testing. We compared the [...] Read more.
To compare organism identification using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and urine culture (UC) in patients with complex urinary tract infections (cUTIs), we reviewed the results of 3395 patients seen during 2022 with cUTI who underwent concomitant PCR and UC testing. We compared the overall positivity rates as well as the ability of each test to identify fastidious organisms (FOs) and the presence of polymicrobial infections (PMOs) and conducted concordance analysis between the tests. PCR detected 36.4% more organisms than UC and was 20 and nearly 36 times more likely to detect PMOs and FOs, respectively. PCR identified 90.6% of organisms found in UC, whereas UC identified 40.7% of organisms found in PCR testing. We found that 62.4% of organisms found in PCR were not found in urine culture, while UC found 9.4% of organisms not identified in polymerase chain reaction. All these differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Although we found that PCR was superior to UC in overall pathogen detection, and detection of both PMOs and FOs, both identified potentially pathogenic organisms not found in the corresponding test. Our data strongly suggest that the evaluation of patients with cUTI is best accomplished using PCR in conjunction with UC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infectious Diseases: Emerging Diagnostic Methods, Updated Treatment Protocols and New Antimicrobial Agents)
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19 pages, 2316 KiB  
Article
Genomic Landscape of Multidrug Resistance and Virulence in Enterococcus faecalis IRMC827A from a Long-Term Patient
by J. Francis Borgio, Reem AlJindan, Lujeen H. Alghourab, Rahaf Alquwaie, Razan Aldahhan, Norah F. Alhur, Doaa M. AlEraky, Nehal Mahmoud, Noor B. Almandil and Sayed AbdulAzeez
Biology 2023, 12(10), 1296; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12101296 - 29 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1406
Abstract
We report on a highly virulent, multidrug-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecalis IRMC827A that was found colonizing a long-term male patient at a tertiary hospital in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The E. faecalis IRMC827A strain carries several antimicrobial drug resistance genes and harbours mobile genetic [...] Read more.
We report on a highly virulent, multidrug-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecalis IRMC827A that was found colonizing a long-term male patient at a tertiary hospital in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The E. faecalis IRMC827A strain carries several antimicrobial drug resistance genes and harbours mobile genetic elements such as Tn6009, which is an integrative conjugative element that can transfer resistance genes between bacteria and ISS1N via an insertion sequence. Whole-genome-sequencing-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing on strains from faecal samples revealed that the isolate E. faecalis IRMC827A is highly resistant to a variety of antibiotics, including tetracycline, doxycycline, minocycline, dalfopristin, virginiamycin, pristinamycin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, clindamycin, lincomycin, trimethoprim, nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin. The isolate IRMC827A carries several virulence factors that are significantly associated with adherence, biofilm formation, sortase-assembled pili, manganese uptake, antiphagocytosis, and spreading factor of multidrug resistance. The isolate also encompasses two mutations (G2576T and G2505A) in the 23S rRNA gene associated with linezolid resistance and three more mutations (gyrA p.S83Y, gyrA p.D759N and parC p.S80I) of the antimicrobial resistance phenotype. The findings through next-generation sequencing on the resistome, mobilome and virulome of the isolate in the study highlight the significance of monitoring multidrug-resistant E. faecalis colonization and infection in hospitalized patients. As multidrug-resistant E. faecalis is a serious pathogen, it is particularly difficult to treat and can cause fatal infections. It is important to have quick and accurate diagnostic tests for multidrug-resistant E. faecalis, to track the spread of multidrug-resistant E. faecalis in healthcare settings, and to improve targeted interventions to stop its spread. Further research is necessary to develop novel antibiotics and treatment strategies for multidrug-resistant E. faecalis infections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infectious Diseases: Emerging Diagnostic Methods, Updated Treatment Protocols and New Antimicrobial Agents)
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17 pages, 1423 KiB  
Article
A Global Assessment of Coagulation Profile and a Novel Insight into Adamts-13 Implication in Neonatal Sepsis
by Paraskevi Papadogeorgou, Theodora Boutsikou, Maria Boutsikou, Eleni Pergantou, Aimilia Mantzou, Ioannis Papassotiriou, Zoi Iliodromiti, Rozeta Sokou, Elena Bouza, Marianna Politou, Nikoletta Iacovidou and Serena Valsami
Biology 2023, 12(10), 1281; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12101281 - 26 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1090
Abstract
Neonatal sepsis is a life-threatening condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Sepsis-induced coagulopathy is a well-recognized entity, signifying the strong cross-talk between inflammation and coagulation. The aim of the present study was to compare the coagulation profile between the acute phase of [...] Read more.
Neonatal sepsis is a life-threatening condition associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Sepsis-induced coagulopathy is a well-recognized entity, signifying the strong cross-talk between inflammation and coagulation. The aim of the present study was to compare the coagulation profile between the acute phase of sepsis and recovery in term and preterm neonates. Additional comparisons to healthy neonates were undertaken. Levels of clotting, anti-clotting factors and ADAMTS-13 (A disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type-1 motives), the cleaving protein of von Willebrand factor (VWF), were measured in 16 term and preterm neonates in the acute phase of infection and following recovery, as well as in 18 healthy neonates. Clotting times were prolonged, while levels of particular clotting factors were lower in the acute phase of infection compared to controls and recovery. On the other hand, levels of fibrinogen, factor VIII (FVIII) and VWF were significantly higher in the acute phase in comparison to controls and recovery, while they remained persistently higher in the infection group compared to controls. In regard to the anticlotting mechanism, a clear suppression was observed in septic neonates. ADAMTS-13 levels were significantly lower in the acute phase of infection in comparison to controls and recovery (p = 0.015 and 0.004, respectively), while a trend toward superimposed normalization was demonstrated post infection, as higher ADAMTS-13 levels were measured in recovered neonates compared to controls (p = 0.002). The coagulation profile is considerably deranged in neonatal sepsis. ADAMTS-13 deficiency in septic neonates is a novel finding with promising future implications, as ADAMTS-13 substitution may serve as a useful therapeutic option in neonatal sepsis, prompting further investigation in future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infectious Diseases: Emerging Diagnostic Methods, Updated Treatment Protocols and New Antimicrobial Agents)
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14 pages, 2429 KiB  
Article
Myco-Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles and Their Bioactive Role against Pathogenic Microbes
by Ahmed Abdel-Hadi, Danish Iqbal, Raed Alharbi, Sadaf Jahan, Omar Darwish, Bader Alshehri, Saeed Banawas, Manikanadan Palanisamy, Ahmed Ismail, Sahar Aldosari, Mohammed Alsaweed, Yahya Madkhali, Mehnaz Kamal and Faria Fatima
Biology 2023, 12(5), 661; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12050661 - 27 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1856
Abstract
Nanotechnology based on nanoscale materials is rapidly being used in clinical settings, particularly as a new approach for infectious illnesses. Recently, many physical/chemical approaches utilized to produce nanoparticles are expensive and highly unsafe to biological species and ecosystems. This study demonstrated an environmentally [...] Read more.
Nanotechnology based on nanoscale materials is rapidly being used in clinical settings, particularly as a new approach for infectious illnesses. Recently, many physical/chemical approaches utilized to produce nanoparticles are expensive and highly unsafe to biological species and ecosystems. This study demonstrated an environmentally friendly mode of producing nanoparticles (NPs) where Fusarium oxysporum has been employed for generation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), which were further tested for their antimicrobial potentials against a variety of pathogenic microorganisms. The characterization of NPs was completed by UV–Vis spectroscopy, DLS and TEM, where it has been found that the NPs were mostly globular, with the size range of 50 to 100 nm. The myco-synthesized AgNPs showed prominent antibacterial potency observed as zone of inhibition of 2.6 mm, 1.8 mm, 1.5 mm, and 1.8 mm against Vibrio cholerae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Bacillus anthracis, respectively, at 100 µM. Similarly, at 200 µM for A. alternata, A. flavus and Trichoderma have shown zone of inhibition as 2.6 mm, 2.4 mm, and 2.1 mm, respectively. Moreover, SEM analysis of A. alternata confirmed the hyphal damage where the layers of membranes were torn off, and further EDX data analysis showed the presence of silver NPs, which might be responsible for hyphal damage. The potency of NPs may be related with the capping of fungal proteins that are produced extracellularly. Thus, these AgNPs may be used against pathogenic microbes and play a beneficial role against multi-drug resistance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infectious Diseases: Emerging Diagnostic Methods, Updated Treatment Protocols and New Antimicrobial Agents)
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Review

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15 pages, 1138 KiB  
Review
New Frontiers in Acanthamoeba Keratitis Diagnosis and Management
by Omar Shareef, Sana Shareef and Hajirah N. Saeed
Biology 2023, 12(12), 1489; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12121489 - 05 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1309
Abstract
Acanthamoeba Keratitis (AK) is a severe corneal infection caused by the Acanthamoeba species of protozoa, potentially leading to permanent vision loss. AK requires prompt diagnosis and treatment to mitigate vision impairment. Diagnosing AK is challenging due to overlapping symptoms with other corneal infections, [...] Read more.
Acanthamoeba Keratitis (AK) is a severe corneal infection caused by the Acanthamoeba species of protozoa, potentially leading to permanent vision loss. AK requires prompt diagnosis and treatment to mitigate vision impairment. Diagnosing AK is challenging due to overlapping symptoms with other corneal infections, and treatment is made complicated by the organism’s dual forms and increasing virulence, and delayed diagnosis. In this review, new approaches in AK diagnostics and treatment within the last 5 years are discussed. The English-language literature on PubMed was reviewed using the search terms “Acanthamoeba keratitis” and “diagnosis” or “treatment” and focused on studies published between 2018 and 2023. Two hundred sixty-five publications were initially identified, of which eighty-seven met inclusion and exclusion criteria. This review highlights the findings of these studies. Notably, advances in PCR-based diagnostics may be clinically implemented in the near future, while antibody-based and machine-learning approaches hold promise for the future. Single-drug topical therapy (0.08% PHMB) may improve drug access and efficacy, while oral medication (i.e., miltefosine) may offer a treatment option for patients with recalcitrant disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infectious Diseases: Emerging Diagnostic Methods, Updated Treatment Protocols and New Antimicrobial Agents)
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20 pages, 625 KiB  
Review
Infections of Tumor Prostheses: An Updated Review on Risk Factors, Microbiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Strategies
by Andreas G. Tsantes, Pavlos Altsitzioglou, Dimitrios V. Papadopoulos, Drago Lorenzo, Carlo Luca Romanò, Thami Benzakour, Shinji Tsukamoto, Costantino Errani, Andrea Angelini and Andreas F. Mavrogenis
Biology 2023, 12(2), 314; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020314 - 15 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1901
Abstract
Several causes contribute to the high infection rate in tumor prostheses, including extensive tissue dissection and patients’ immunosuppression due to the neoplastic disease. Most of these infections develop within the first 2 years following surgery with 70% of them occurring during the first [...] Read more.
Several causes contribute to the high infection rate in tumor prostheses, including extensive tissue dissection and patients’ immunosuppression due to the neoplastic disease. Most of these infections develop within the first 2 years following surgery with 70% of them occurring during the first year, while they are often associated with a low pathogen burden. The pathogenesis of infections in tumor prostheses is linked to bacteria developing in biofilms. Approximately half of them are caused by Staphylococcus spp., followed by Streptococcus spp., Enterococcus spp., and Enterobacteriaceae spp., while multiple pathogens may be isolated in up to 25% of the cases, with coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) and Enterococccus spp. being the most frequent pair. Although early detection and timely management are essential for complete resolution of these challenging infections, prompt diagnosis is problematic due to the highly varying clinical symptoms and the lack of specific preoperative and intraoperative diagnostic tests. Surgical management with one- or two-stage revision surgery is the mainstay for successful eradication of these infections. The recent advances in laboratory diagnostics and the development of biofilm-resistant prostheses over the past years have been areas of great interest, as research is now focused on prevention strategies. The aim of this study is to review and consolidate the current knowledge regarding the epidemiology, risk factors, microbiology, and diagnosis of infections of tumor prostheses, and to review the current concepts for their treatment and outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infectious Diseases: Emerging Diagnostic Methods, Updated Treatment Protocols and New Antimicrobial Agents)
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