About this Research Topic
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared AMR as one of the top 10 global public health issues. AMR is a major global threat, and it is estimated that by 2050 the total healthcare cost may increase up to US$100 trillion and cause up to 10 million deaths each year. Without effective antimicrobial drugs, we cannot provide lifesaving treatment especially during conditions like sepsis, surgery, chronic conditions, organ transplants, kidney dialysis, cancer and also COVID treatment.
The aim of this Research Topic is therefore to present and discuss in detail various novel therapeutic strategies that are available to combat AMR pathogens including bacteria and fungi. Current approaches in searching for drugs or vaccines are either insufficient or show limited efficacy against AMR pathogens, so there is a desperate need for new therapeutics with improved efficacy or novel treatment therapies to combat AMR pathogens. This collection will cover any bacterial and fungal AMR pathogens, including but not limited to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter, Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, ESBL-producing Enterobacterales, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae and fungal pathogens like drug-resistant Candida, Azole-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus etc. In addition to that, we also invite articles related to AMR pathogens and COVID-19.
AMR is already a complex, multi-dimensional challenge, and additionally, the influence of the current COVID-19 pandemic makes the situation even worse. Most of the public health personnel are deflected to pandemic response, and the exact status of AMR is not recorded. Recent reports describe sporadic antibiotic-resistant outbreaks in COVID-19 units and higher rates of hospital-onset infections.
Considering these obstacles, we welcome articles with various approaches against AMR pathogens. We welcome Original Research, Brief Research Reports, Perspectives, Opinions, Review and Mini Review articles, focusing on the discovery and development of new therapeutic drugs, elucidation of their mechanisms of action, and novel approaches, including “Omics” technologies for the discovery of antigens for vaccine development against AMR pathogens. We also encourage research articles with interdisciplinary strategies involving infection biology, chemical biology, and computational biology. Of particular interest are submissions on, but not limited to, the following topics:
• screening of natural and synthetic compound libraries: high-throughput screening of available libraries and validating the effectiveness of identified compound(s)
• use of new, repurposed, or licensed drugs to tackle AMR pathogens
• exploration of small bioactive molecules or antimicrobial peptides from various sources
• use of nano molecules in AMR treatment and the application of nanotechnology in drug delivery
• use of antibiotics and antibodies as a combination therapy against Multidrug-resistant pathogens
• antibiofilm drugs: potential drugs inhibiting mono or dual-species biofilms of AMR pathogens
• discovery and validation of Efflux pump inhibitors against bacterial and or fungal pathogens
• development of advanced vaccines against AMR pathogens (recombinant, DNA vaccine, prime-boost, mRNA, live attenuated vaccine, etc.)
• determination of the mode of action of drugs/ vaccines using omics methods, including genomics, RNA-Seq, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.
• in vivo study of host microbiome changes and their impact after AMR pathogen infection or during drug/vaccine treatment.
• in silico approach in drugs/vaccine development against AMR pathogens
• antibiotic resistance associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact.
Keywords: Drugs, Anti-Virulence Drugs, Anti-Biofilm Drugs, Repurposed Drugs, Antibiotic- Antibody Combination Therapy, Nanotechnology, In Silico Drug Design
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.