Single and Multi-Pathogen Epidemiology and Control

  • 2,921

    Total downloads

  • 13k

    Total views and downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

Mathematical models of disease transmission have contributed significantly in effective decision making to the public health authorities from the onset of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Population-level modeling helped us to better understand the consequences of non-pharmaceutical interventions and allowed us to even assess counter-factual outcomes. Behavioral measures, such as increased physical distancing, were strictly maintained in order to contain the pandemic SARS-CoV-2 spread during the past three years, that in fact led to decrease in most of the other circulating respiratory viruses like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), seasonal strains of influenza virus, rhinovirus or common cold, para-influenza virus, enterovirus as well as bacterial pathogens. Now that those behavioral measures have been removed or somewhat relaxed, the respiratory pathogens are hitting back and mainly striking the children, who have been shielded from them during the pandemic and/or have the opportunity to build up the immunity that might have dampened the severity of their first infections. As a result, the human population now has more than one circulating pathogens including the emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 with high pandemic potential who are not only temporally coincidental but also share same transmission routes and target cells. In addition, many experimental studies have identified heterogeneous disease outcomes for coinfection with more than one respiratory pathogen, where it was mostly dependent on the coinfection pair, order, and/or timing of the secondary infection. Therefore, it is critical to understand the potential interactions among them, and consequences of getting simultaneous and subsequent multi-pathogen infections in order to be prepared for the next pandemic as well as the emerging situation with non-SARS-CoV-2 viral spread. Moreover, since vaccines are not available for most of these circulating pathogens, it is paramount to know how vaccination against one virus is going to impact on people who are infected by another.



In this Special Issue, we will focus on the recent developments of mathematical models of population-level transmission models, network models, and artificial intelligence/machine learning tools for pandemic pathogens, potential interactions of pandemic strain with seasonal pathogens, two or more concurrent and subsequent epidemics, control strategies like vaccinations, and application of artificial intelligence/machine learning in epidemiology as a scope. We will also ask for modeling human behavior toward control measures and their effect on the spread of single and multi-pathogens.



We request prospective authors to submit original research articles, review, methodologies, short communications, opinions, mainly dealing with, but not limited to, the following topics: disease transmission dynamics, behavioral modeling in disease transmission, single or multi-strain emerging infectious diseases, homophily on the contact network, pandemic control measures, application of AI/ML in epidemiology.



All articles will be comprised of multidisciplinary approaches to handle the existing challenges faced in this triple-pandemic like emerging situation. The vision of this special issue is to bring clinicians, engineerings, basic scientists, physicists and mathematicians, and big data analytics together to provide the readers current state of the art of quantitative approach in understanding control against the circulating infectious pathogens, and aiding development of novel intervention approaches, and awareness.

Keywords: Mathematical modeling, control, artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive models, co-evolution, multi-pathogen infection, co-epidemics, combination vaccines, co-morbidity, mutation, RSV, Flu, SARS-COV-2, human behavior

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Topic coordinators

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 13kTopic views
  • 9,358Article views
  • 2,921Article downloads
View impact