Call For Papers: The Role of Microbiota in Infection and Immunity

The microbiome refers to the vast community of microorganisms that inhabit specific niches within the human body including the gut, oral cavity, lungs, vagina, and skin. The microbiota plays a key role in performing vital functions such as digestion, immunity, metabolism, and pathogen protection. Many factors contribute to maintaining a healthy and balanced microbiome. Understanding the interactions that take place between the host and microbes is crucial to discovering new prevention and treatment strategies against infectious diseases.

ACS Infectious Diseases invites you to participate in this Special Issue on The Role of Microbiota in Infection and Immunity. We aim to promote the community of microbiome researchers who share an interest in infectious diseases. Broadly speaking, we are looking to publish molecule- or mechanism-based studies on any aspect of the microbiota-pathogen-immune axis, as outlined in this editorial.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Chemical approaches to profile and modulate pathogen function, microbiota communities, or host immune responses
• In vitro and animal studies of specific pathogens interacting with host microbial communities
• Bioinformatic analyses and mechanistic implications of microbiota changes on infections and vice versa
• The impact of a healthy microbiota or dysbiosis on host immune responses
• The intervention of probiotics, prebiotics, or dietary changes on microbiota and infectious disease outcomes
• The identification and functional characterization of microbiota-derived metabolites pertinent to host immunity and infection

Submit your manuscript by July 31, 2025.

Organizing Editors

Matthew Griffin, Guest Editor, ACS Infectious Diseases
UC Irvine, United States

Stavroula Hatzios, Early Career Board, ACS Infectious Diseases
Yale University, United States

Yuan Qiao, Topic Editor, ACS Infectious Diseases
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Submission Information

We welcome submissions for this Special Issue through July 31, 2025. For more information on submission requirements, please visit the journal’s Author Guidelines page.

Accepted manuscripts for consideration in this Special Issue will include research articles, letters, reviews, and perspectives and viewpoints (both by invitation only). Papers accepted for publication for this Special Issue will be available ASAP (as soon as publishable) online as soon as they are accepted. After all submissions have been published, they will then be compiled online on a dedicated landing page to form the Special Issue. Manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo the full rigorous peer review process expected from ACS journals.

How to Submit

• Log in to the ACS Publishing Center.
• Select the “Journals” tab.
• Search for ACS Infectious Diseases.
• Click "Submit."
• Select your manuscript type, and, under "Special Issue Selection," choose “The Role of Microbiota in Infection and Immunity."

If you have any general questions regarding submission to this Special Issue, please contact eic@id.acs.org.

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