Intracellular parasites, such as those responsible for malaria, Chagas disease, and leishmaniasis, present unique challenges in healthcare due to their ability to evade immune detection and thrive within human hosts. These pathogens, responsible for high morbidity and mortality rates, exploit complex life cycles and interactions with both human and vector hosts, underscoring the urgency in developing effective therapeutic interventions. At the same time, other microbial pathogens and host–pathogen systems (including zoonotic bacteria) present overlapping molecular challenges, from immune manipulation and tissue invasion to nutrient competition and oxidative stress.
This Research Topic aims to advance drug target discovery and validation in medically and veterinary relevant parasites, while also highlighting molecular and multi-omics approaches, structural biology, and field-adaptable diagnostics that deepen our understanding of infection biology and enable translation. Contributions in this collection include biochemical and proteomics-supported evaluation of parasite enzymes as drug targets, studies of parasite virulence and metabolic/stress adaptation, emerging views on genomic mechanisms of drug resistance, and CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection platforms designed to identify active infections and treatment outcomes. In addition, the Topic encompasses molecular studies of bacterial host exploitation, genomic and glycomic approaches that improve pathogen typing and illuminate antigen evolution, and methodological reviews that address key experimental gaps in microbial iron homeostasis and oxidative stress.
To gather further insights into the development of targeted treatments and interventions, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
o Identification, validation, and mechanistic characterization of drug targets in protozoan parasites
o Drug discovery and optimization pipelines, including in silico screening, biochemical assays, phenotypic infection models, and proteomics-based pathway readouts
o Genomic and proteomic mechanisms of drug resistance and parasite adaptation
o Host–pathogen interaction mechanisms underlying invasion, immune evasion, and tissue dissemination, including structural biology of pathogen–host complexes
o Immune modulation strategies and delivery systems (e.g., exosome/nucleic acid delivery) that reprogram host defenses such as autophagy
o Diagnostics and surveillance tools suitable for laboratory and field detection of active infection
o Microbial nutrient and stress biology methods in host–pathogen models
o Novel antimicrobial/therapeutic modalities, including nano-enabled approaches with antibacterial activity alongside broader biomedical applications
The scope of this Research Topic covers a range of interdisciplinary approaches and aims to compile a comprehensive overview of the current advancements and future directions in the battle against parasites. Through this collection of original research and review articles, we hope to catalyse the development of effective, innovative treatments that can reduce the global health burden of these complex diseases.
Keywords: Intracellular Parasites, Drug Targets, Drug Discovery, Nanoformulations, Drug Repurposing, Zoonoses, Trypanosoma cruzi, Chagas disease, Leishmania major, Drug resistance, Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), Exosomes, Macrophage autophagy, Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) saccharide profiling
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.
