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EDITORIAL article

Front. Microbiol., 24 July 2023
Sec. Antimicrobials, Resistance and Chemotherapy
Volume 14 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1249934
This article is part of the Research Topic Novel Approaches to Prevent and Treat Intracellular Bacterial Infections View all 7 articles

Editorial: Novel approaches to prevent and treat intracellular bacterial infections

\r\nVolker Behrends Volker Behrends1*Jesús NavasJesús Navas2Izabela Korona-GlowniakIzabela Korona-Glowniak3Michal Letek Michal Letek4*
  • 1School of Life and Health Sciences, University of Roehampton London, London, United Kingdom
  • 2Departamento de Biología Molecular, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain
  • 3Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
  • 4Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad de León, León, Spain

Editorial on the Research Topic
Novel approaches to prevent and treat intracellular bacterial infections

Infectious diseases caused by intracellular bacterial pathogens present a considerable health threat, requiring innovative strategies to overcome the limitations of traditional antibiotics, which cannot easily penetrate and accumulate inside host cells. This Research Topic brings together a collection of papers that explore “Novel approaches to prevent and treat intracellular bacterial infections”, highlighting common themes that emerge from the research.

Two studies focus on the discovery and evaluation of alternative antimicrobial agents from natural products. Zhong et al. investigate the activity of essential oil from satsuma mandarin against Aeromonas hydrophila, showing that it disrupts the extracellular membrane permeability, while Sawicki et al. explore the impact of propolis treatment on the metabolic pathways and cell envelope of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Targeting the bacterial cell wall is another common theme. Zhou et al. provide an extensive review of various targets within the cell wall, highlighting their significance in bacterial growth and virulence. The authors emphasize the need for innovative methodologies to discover new antibiotics that target the cell wall components effectively.

Addressing the challenges of antibiotic resistance and treatment failures, Hou et al. review the use of non-antibiotic compounds for preventing and suppressing chlamydial infections. This approach aims to identify alternative strategies beyond traditional antibiotic treatments, considering the potential risks of antibiotic resistance.

Two studies explore the utilization of nanoparticles for intracellular infection treatment. Zhang et al. develop composite nanoparticles loaded with cellulase and levofloxacin, combined with ultrasound irradiation, to target Mycobacterium tuberculosis biofilms. Du et al. investigate the effectiveness of silver nanoparticles in treating multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli infections in mice. Both studies highlight the potential of nanotechnology-based approaches for improved bacterial infection management.

Overall, the findings presented in this Research Topic have the potential to shape the future of intracellular bacterial infection management and contribute to the global fight against antimicrobial resistance. We commend the authors for their valuable contributions and invite readers to delve into these exciting research findings.

Author contributions

VB wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the manuscript revision and have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Keywords: intracellular, bacteria, infection, treatment, antibiotics

Citation: Behrends V, Navas J, Korona-Glowniak I and Letek M (2023) Editorial: Novel approaches to prevent and treat intracellular bacterial infections. Front. Microbiol. 14:1249934. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1249934

Received: 29 June 2023; Accepted: 06 July 2023;
Published: 24 July 2023.

Edited and reviewed by: Rustam Aminov, University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom

Copyright © 2023 Behrends, Navas, Korona-Glowniak and Letek. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Volker Behrends, volker.behrends@roehampton.ac.uk; Michal Letek, michal.letek@unileon.es

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.