Open for submissions until 31 July 2023 - submit here.
Immunocompromised hosts are uniquely vulnerable to infection.
Patients with genetic, acquired or iatrogenic immunodeficiency are not only susceptible to unusual pathogens but also often present with atypical symptoms or prolonged illness even with more common infections. Diagnosis can be challenging due to low pathogen burden, a lack of standardised tests for uncommon organisms and the unreliability of immunological tests such as serology in patients with compromised immunity or who are receiving antibody replacement therapy.
In the absence of immunological pressure, pathogens may evolve within immunocompromised hosts. Frequent exposure to antimicrobial agents and failure to adequately control infection can lead to significant issues of antimicrobial resistance. Treatment, especially achieving sustained eradication of pathogens, can be extremely challenging. The host microbiome, fungome and virome may be significantly altered, even in the absence of overt infection or antimicrobial therapy.
This special issue of the Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials will focus on infections in immunocompromised populations. Specifically, we are interested in novel or rarely described organisms, unusual presentations of otherwise common infections, issues of antimicrobial resistance, within-host evolution, microbiome analysis and any aspect of therapeutics in this population.
We welcome submissions relating to clinical presentations, antimicrobial therapy, epidemiology, pathogen diagnostics and host immunology including host-pathogen interaction. The scope includes clinical case series (especially interventional studies), population-based surveys, in vitro analyses of clinical samples and animal models of infection in immunocompromised states. We also welcome relevant reviews in any of these areas.
Please click here for submission guidelines