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EDITORIAL article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol., 24 July 2025

Sec. Bacteria and Host

Volume 15 - 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1645251

This article is part of the Research TopicSynergistic Approaches to Managing Gram-negative Bacterial ResistanceView all 18 articles

Editorial: Synergistic approaches to managing Gram-negative bacterial resistance

  • 1Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, Medical Faculty, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
  • 2Institute for Medical Microbiology and Virology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
  • 3Bioinformatics, Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH, Braunschweig, Germany
  • 4Neonatology and Pediatric Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
  • 5Institute of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
  • 6Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany

Multiresistant Gram-negative bacterial pathogens pose a major threat to global health (Huttner et al., 2013; Macesic et al., 2025), and the continuous increase in antimicrobial resistance, coupled with the very limited introduction of new antibiotics, exacerbates this situation (Aslam et al., 2018). One effective way to counteract antimicrobial resistance is through containment measures that can be implemented at local, regional and international levels. However, such measures require the collection of epidemiological data to deduce appropriate strategies, which can be very time consuming. In addition to the development of new antimicrobial drugs, ongoing evaluation of further treatment strategies is crucial. Notably, phage therapy has re-gained importance in recent decades (Slopek et al., 1983), however, to successfully implement such alternatives, detailed knowledge of bacterial pathogenicity is essential. This includes genomic data, as well as knowledge regarding how pathogenic species interact with the host microbiome and immune system.

This Research Topic highlights current research in this field and emphasizes the threat of antibiotic resistance to public health. A major focus of this Research Topic was placed on Klebsiella pneumoniae. In this context, epidemiological data were collected on the distribution of various resistance genes, and fundamental research contributing to a better understanding of pathogenicity was presented (Li et al., Li et al., Zhong et al.). Of particular note, regarding the genetics of hypervirulent K. pneumoniae, Yan et al. demonstrated the importance of the iucA gene for the expression of the hypervirulent pathotype. Additionally, Klaper et al. proposed the existence of three K. pneumoniae pathovars (classical K. pneumoniae, ESBL-positive, and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae). Their research revealed that hypervirulent strains evade phagocytosis by macrophages and exhibit cytotoxic potential.

Further studies in this Research Topic investigated risk factors for infection with Acinetobacter baumanii in pediatric patients, as well as patients critically ill with COVID-19 (Wang et al., Ghamari et al.). An epidemiological study reported on patients in Lithuania who experienced invasive infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis (Ghamari et al.). Moreover, a new resistance mechanism to fosfomycin in Morganella morganii was identified and a new human pathogenic species of the genus Stenotrophomoas was introduced into the taxonomy (Zhang et al., Li et al.). The findings presented in this Research Topic highlight critical areas for research, hospital hygiene and public health initiatives, indicating which isolates and pathovars should become a primary focus in the future.

Author contributions

AZ: Writing – review & editing, Project administration. HH: Project administration, Writing – review & editing. BB: Project administration, Writing – review & editing. MC: Project administration, Writing – review & editing. PS: Writing – review & editing, Project administration, Supervision, Resources, Writing – original draft, Conceptualization.

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.

Generative AI statement

The author(s) declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript.

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.

References

Aslam, B., Wang, W., Arshad, M. I., Khurshid, M., Muzammil, S., Rasool, M. H., et al. (2018). Antibiotic resistance: a rundown of a global crisis. Infection Drug Resistance 11, 1645–1658. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S173867

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Huttner, A., Harbarth, S., Carlet, J., Cosgrove, S., Goossens, H., Holmes, A., et al. (2013). Antimicrobial resistance: a global view from the 2013 World Healthcare-Associated Infections Forum. Antimicrobial Resistance Infection Control. 2, 31. doi: 10.1186/2047-2994-2-31

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Macesic, N., Uhlemann, A. C., and Peleg, A. Y. (2025). Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. Lancet. 405, 257–272. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02081-6

PubMed Abstract | Crossref Full Text | Google Scholar

Slopek, S., Durlakowa, I., Weber-Dabrowska, B., Kucharewicz-Krukowska, A., Dabrowski, M., and Bisikiewicz, R. (1983). Results of bacteriophage treatment of suppurative bacterial infections. II. Detailed evaluation of the results. Arch. Immunol. Ther. Exp. (Warsz). 31, 293–327.

PubMed Abstract | Google Scholar

Keywords: Gram-negative bacteria, antimicrobial resistance, genomic studies, phenotypic studies, virulence, pathogen-host interaction

Citation: Zautner AE, Harb H, Bunk B, Conrad ML and Schröttner P (2025) Editorial: Synergistic approaches to managing Gram-negative bacterial resistance. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 15:1645251. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2025.1645251

Received: 11 June 2025; Accepted: 04 July 2025;
Published: 24 July 2025.

Edited and Reviewed by:

Mariola J. Ferraro, University of Florida, United States

Copyright © 2025 Zautner, Harb, Bunk, Conrad and Schröttner. 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: Percy Schröttner, cGVyY3kuc2Nocm9ldHRuZXJAdHUtZHJlc2Rlbi5kZQ==

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.