Targeting Quorum Sensing to Combat Biofilm-Associated Infectious Diseases
A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Biofilm".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 November 2022) | Viewed by 15672
Special Issue Editor
Interests: antibiotics; biofilms; drug resistance; infectious diseases; quorum sensing
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Biofilm-associated infections on both biotic and abiotic surfaces are a major health problem due to treatment resistance, resulting in the development of serious chronic infections. The bacteria in biofilms produce extracellular polymeric matrix substances (EPS) that function as anchoring sites for other bacteria. The EPS also acts as a barrier to prevent the penetration of antibiotics and thus contributes to drug resistance. In addition, drug efflux pumps are frequently upregulated in biofilm-associated bacteria. Biofilms are frequently composed of mixed communities of bacteria that communicate with each other through quorum sensing signals involved in regulating bacterial virulence. Many efforts have been made to develop strategies to prevent biofilm formation and to eradicate established biofilms. There is varied evidence that targeting quorum sensing, the Achilles’ heel of biofilms, may assist in resolving biofilm-related diseases. In recent years, several compounds have been documented to modulate quorum sensing or to impede biofilm formation. Some of these compounds also sensitize drug-resistant bacteria to antibiotics, suggesting a tight connection between these processes.
The Special Issue of Microorganisms is open to manuscripts discussing themes related to the following topics:
- Regulation of biofilm formation by pathogenic microorganisms;
- Regulation of drug efflux pump expression in pathogenic microorganisms;
- Understanding the link between biofilm formation, quorum sensing, and antibiotic resistance;
- Regulation of quorum sensing in pathogenic microorganisms and its importance in sustaining biofilms;
- Compounds targeting quorum sensing or biofilm formation that can alleviate infection and/or sensitize microorganisms to antibiotics.
We would like to invite you to submit an original research article, a review, a commentary, or a short communication discussing one or more of these topics.
Dr. Ronit Sionov
Guest Editor
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.
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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
- antibiotics
- biofilms
- drug resistance
- infectious diseases
- quorum sensing
- pathogens
