Pathogens MDPI

21/11/2025

✨ Last Call for the Pathogens Travel Award 2025

Are you a PhD student or postdoc planning to present your work in 2026?

If your research touches on pathogens, host–pathogen interactions, or related fields, this might be a great opportunity to secure support for your next conference presentation.

Read more: https://brnw.ch/21wXIei

Application deadline: 30 November 2025

21/11/2025

Molecular Epidemiology, Genomics, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Pathogenic Bacteria

Explore the Special Issue: https://brnw.ch/21wXHcw

This Special Issue focuses on the complexity of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), from genomic drivers and mobile genetic elements to mutation dynamics, critical antimicrobial classes, hospital and community-acquired infections, and One Health transmission routes. Submissions addressing surveillance, outbreak investigation, and clinical/public health implications are encouraged.

What advancements in AMR genomics do you believe are most impactful for public health?

20/11/2025

Cytokine Signatures in Dengue: IL-2, IFN-α and IFN-γ as Potential Biomarkers of Infection Dynamics

Read the full article: https://brnw.ch/21wXG7Z

Understanding how dengue virus (DENV) shapes inflammatory responses is essential for improving diagnosis and clinical decision-making. This study analyzed samples from more than 130 patients to explore the relationship between viremia and cytokine levels during acute dengue infection.

The authors report that IL-2 may help distinguish dengue from other febrile illnesses, while IFN-α and IFN-γ show promise as indicators for differentiating primary from secondary infection, an important distinction in clinical management due to varying risk profiles.

The pathogenesis of Dengue virus (DENV) infection is complex and involves viral replication that may trigger an inflammatory response leading to severe disease. Here, we investigated the correlation between viremia and cytokine levels in the serum of DENV-infected patients. Between 2013 and 2014, 13...

20/11/2025

Polyamines, Arginine & Pathogens: exploring the biochemical pathways that shape infection outcomes

Discover the Special Issue: https://brnw.ch/21wXFOO

Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Sigrid C. Roberts and Prof. Dr. Nicola Carter from Pacific University.

This collection focuses on the interconnected roles of arginine and polyamines in microbial physiology and host–pathogen interactions. From stress adaptation and immune modulation to metabolic crosstalk and therapeutic targeting, the issue highlights both fundamental mechanisms and translational opportunities in infectious disease research.

17/11/2025

A New Luciferase-Based Reporter System for Studying Human Cytomegalovirus

Read now: https://brnw.ch/21wXzK7

This Editor’s Choice article presents a recombinant, luciferase-expressing HCMV strain (TB40-Fluc) that allows researchers to quantify viral replication with high sensitivity, even at early time points. The system supports antiviral drug screening, viral tropism studies, and mechanistic investigations, offering a reliable tool that bypasses limitations of fluorescence-based assays.

Do you use luciferase-based tools in your work? What advantages or challenges have you seen?

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) represents a highly medically important pathogen which has constantly been the subject of both molecular and clinical investigations. HCMV infections, especially those in high-risk patients, still raise many unanswered questions, so current investigations are focused on ...

17/11/2025

Cytomegalovirus in Ulcerative Colitis: An Unwanted “Guest”

Read more: https://brnw.ch/21wXzny

When a flare in ulcerative colitis doesn’t behave as expected, cytomegalovirus (CMV) may be the hidden trigger. This case report sheds light on how CMV reactivation can complicate disease management and highlights the importance of timely diagnosis, especially before escalating therapy.

The role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the flare-up of ulcerative colitis (UC) is not clearly understood.

13/11/2025

Zika virus (ZIKV) remains a public health challenge due to its links to severe neurological outcomes and pregnancy complications.

This Pathogens review revisits ZIKV’s reemergence, highlighting immune cross-reactivity with Dengue and the hurdles it poses for vaccine development.

Discover more: https://brnw.ch/21wXt4K

What lessons can we learn from ZIKV’s resurgence to better prepare for future flavivirus outbreaks?

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a reemerging flavivirus that is primarily spread through bites from infected mosquitos. It was first discovered in 1947 in sentinel monkeys in Uganda and has since been the cause of several outbreaks, primarily in tropical and subtropical areas. Unlike earlier outbreaks, the 201...

12/11/2025

A Bright Step Forward in Studying Vibrio harveyi

Researchers from the University of Crete, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, and the University of Exeter developed fluorescent protein–tagged Vibrio harveyi strains that allow real-time visualization of infection processes and bacterial interactions.

🔗 Read the full article: https://brnw.ch/21wXr9a

These versatile GFP- and RFP-tagged strains open new possibilities for understanding microbial behavior, virulence, and host–pathogen interactions in aquaculture systems.

💬 How could this tool accelerate research in fish pathogen control or vaccine design?

Fluorescent protein-tagged bacterial strains are widely used tools for studying host-pathogen interactions and microbial dynamics.

12/11/2025

Nutritional Stress Fuels Staphylococcus aureus Persistence

A new study from UC Davis scientists reveals that nutrient limitation triggers long-term persistence and small colony variant formation in S. aureus. This mechanism may explain why some infections are so difficult to eradicate.

Read more in Pathogens: https://brnw.ch/21wXqM4

What are your thoughts on tackling bacterial persistence as part of infection management?

11/11/2025

🍵 Green Tea Compound and Oral Health

A new Pathogens review explores the therapeutic effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a key compound in green tea, on major oral diseases, from dental caries and periodontitis to oral cancer.

Read more: https://brnw.ch/21wXp0m

Can natural compounds like EGCG reshape the way we prevent and manage oral diseases?

Objectives: Oral diseases are among the most prevalent diseases globally.

11/11/2025

🧬 Parvoviruses of Aquatic Animals

A new Pathogens review explores parvoviruses infecting fish, crustaceans, and mollusks, highlighting their host specificity, disease impact, and genomic diversity across aquatic environments.

🔗 Read more: https://brnw.ch/21wXoJM

How can improved molecular diagnostics aid in detecting these emerging aquatic viruses?

Family Parvoviridae consists of small, non-enveloped viruses with linear, single-stranded DNA genomes of approximately 4-6 kilobases, subdivided into three subfamilies, Parvovirinae, Densovirinae, and Hamaparvovirinae, and unassigned genus Metalloincertoparvovirus.

10/11/2025

A Double-Edged Sword: How Mycobacterium abscessus Manipulates Cell Death

This review delves into how Mycobacterium abscessus—a rapidly growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium—modulates apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy to ensure its survival inside host cells.

The study highlights how these mechanisms, while vital for immune defense, can also promote chronic infection and tissue damage.

Read more: https://brnw.ch/21wXnaA

Understanding these mechanisms could unlock new therapeutic targets against NTM infections.

Infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), such as Mycobacterium abscessus, elicit diverse cell death mechanisms including apoptosis, necrosis, and pyroptosis, which play key roles in immunopathogenesis. NTM can manipulate these cell death pathways to evade host immune responses, ensur...