OBM Genetics is an international Open Access journal published quarterly online by LIDSEN Publishing Inc. It accepts papers addressing basic and medical aspects of genetics and epigenetics and also ethical, legal and social issues. Coverage includes clinical, developmental, diagnostic, evolutionary, genomic, mitochondrial, molecular, oncological, population and reproductive aspects. It publishes a variety of article types (Original Research, Review, Communication, Opinion, Comment, Conference Report, Technical Note, Book Review, etc.). There is no restriction on the length of the papers and we encourage scientists to publish their results in as much detail as possible.
Publication Speed (median values for papers published in 2024): Submission to First Decision: 6.4 weeks; Submission to Acceptance: 12.2 weeks; Acceptance to Publication: 7 days (1-2 days of FREE language polishing included)
Special Issue
Pneumocystis: A Model of Adaptive Coevolution
Submission Deadline:
October 31, 2018 (Closed)
Guest Editors
Andrés Moya,
Prof. of Genetics, Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (University of Valencia), FISABIO Foundation for Biomedical Research and CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Spain
Website | E-Mail
Research Interests: genome evolution, symbiosis, microbiome
Enrique J.Calderón,
Associate Prof. of Medicine, Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío/Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas/Universidad de Sevilla, and Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
Website | E-Mail
Research Interests: Infectious diseases, Pneumcystosis
Luis Delaye,
Prof. of Bioinformatics, CINVESTAV Irapuato, México
Website | E-Mail
Research Interests: molecular evolution, phylogenetic inference
About This Topic
Pneumocystis organisms, which were first reported and named Pneumocystis carinii at the beginning of the last century, were long considered as protozoans and a single species based on morphologic features and the resistance to classical antifungal agents. The lack of a continuous in vitro system was a major obstacle to Pneumocystis research and these organisms were largely ignored until the dramatic increase in the incidence of Pneumocystis pneumonia that occurred with the emergence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic, which made pneumocystosis a major medical and public health problem in the 1980s. However, this obvious pathogenic Pneumocystis–host interaction is only the tip of the iceberg, and recent findings suggest that the vast majority of mammal–Pneumocystis interactions led to relatively benign colonization, rather than pneumonia.
Molecular and biochemical studies have provided clear evidence for the placement of Pneumocystis with fungi, and based on genomic or phenotypic divergence, multiple Pneumocystis species have been recognized. Genetic data, in addition, suggested that speciation in the group resulted from long genetic isolation and co-evolution in parallel with mammal species.
In this special issue of OBM Genetics, we present the state-of-the art of the genetics and the coevolution of Pneumocystis in different mammalian species in a broad perspective, although with a particular emphasis on the human host. Reviews and methodological papers related with the topic are also welcome.
Planned Papers
Title: Dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) polymorphisms in Pneumocystis jirovecii
Authors: Carmen de la Horra, Vicente Friaza, Rubén Morilla, María Mercedes Panizo, Yaxsier de Armas, Gustavo Wissmann, Enrique J. Calderón
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted through the LIDSEN Submission System. Detailed information on manuscript preparation and submission is available in the Instructions for Authors. All submitted articles will be thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process and will be processed following the Editorial Process and Quality Control policy. Upon acceptance, the article will be immediately published in a regular issue of the journal and will be listed together on the special issue website, with a label that the article belongs to the Special Issue. LIDSEN distributes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License in an open-access model. The authors own the copyright to the article, and the article can be free to access, distribute, and reuse provided that the original work is correctly cited.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). Research articles and review articles are highly invited. Authors are encouraged to send the tentative title and abstract of the planned paper to the Editorial Office (genetics@lidsen.com) for record. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office.
Welcome your submission!
Publication
Open Access
Original Research
Abstract
Background: Phylogenetic analysis shows that Pneumocystis have coevolved with their mammalian hosts for millions of years. As a result, infection by Pneumocystis is species specific (i.e. a given Pneumocystis
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Abstract
Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is the most frequent AIDS-defining disease among HIV-infected individuals in developed countries, and also affects immunocompromised non-HIV patients. Experimental studies on rodent models carried out in the early eighties have shown that Pneumocystis spp. can be transmitte [...]
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Abstract
Pneumocystis spp. are a group of fungi that are known for causing opportunistic infections in immunocompromised individuals. It was only at the end of the 20th century that the scientific community challenged the notion of a unique species in the genus Pneumocystis (i.e., Pneumocystis carinii [...]
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Open Access
Research Article
Abstract
Background: Pneumocystis jirovecii colonization in patients is associated with a low organism burden, which supports the need to use highly sensitive molecular techniques, such as nested-PCR to determine the presence of the organism. However, few studies have considered the effect of nucleic acid extraction methods on the detection of P. jirov [...]
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Abstract
Pneumocystis jirovecii is an atypical fungus transmitted via the airborne route between humans. This fungus is exclusively associated with humans and almost each individual has encountered it at least once before reaching the age of two. P. jirovecii can be cleared and spontaneously resolutive in immunocom [...]
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Abstract
Pneumocystis causes life-threatening pneumonia in immunocompromised populations. More recently it has been implicated as a co-factor in a number of chronic lung diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), severe asthma, and cystic fibrosis (CF). In this review, we will examine the current literature [...]
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Abstract
My experiences with the identification and development of the anti-Pneumocystis drugs trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, dapsone and atovaquone are recounted. Attention is drawn to certain often-overlooked aspects of these drugs, including their concomitant effects against infections other than Pneumocystis,
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Abstract
Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PcP) remains a major cause of respiratory illness among immunocompromised patients. PcP is difficult to diagnose, in particular in non-HIV-infected patients, due to the lack of associated specific clinical data. Since P. jirovecii could not be cultivated for many years [...]
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Abstract
Background: Over the past decade, there has been rising interest in the interaction of Pneumocystis with the environment. This interest has arisen in part from the demonstration that environmental factors have important effects on the viability and transmission of microbes, including Pneumocystis. Environm [...]
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Luis Delaye
