Journal of Microbiology

Article

Antimicrobial effects and mechanism of action of carboxymethyl chitosan-loaded silver ion complexes against drug-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus: Lingsheng Jin, Xinyu Zhou, Wenlong Du; Received November 28, 2025 Accepted February 5, 2026 Published online April 6, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2512001 [Epub ahead of print]

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Abstract PDF: Based on the escalating challenge of drug-resistant Aspergillus fumigatus infections, this study developed a silver ion-loaded carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCh-Ag^⁺) nanocomposite as a potent antifungal agent. The composite was successfully synthesized and characterized, revealing distinct physicochemical properties, uniform dispersion, and confirmed coordination between CMCh and Ag^⁺. In vitro evaluations, including minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC), growth curve, and plate spotting assays, demonstrated that CMCh-Ag^⁺ exhibited significantly superior antifungal efficacy against multiple A. fumigatus strains (including azole-resistant isolates) compared to CMCh or Ag^⁺ alone. In vivo experiments using a Galleria mellonella infection model confirmed the enhanced therapeutic effect and biocompatibility of CMCh-Ag^⁺. Investigations into the mechanism-related phenotypes revealed that CMCh-Ag^⁺ significantly removed fungal biofilm and was associated with a substantial accumulation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), correlating with fungal cell death. This research highlights the preliminary potential of CMCh Ag^⁺ as a candidate strategy to combat drug-resistant A. fumigatus infections, warranting further investigation in mammalian models to assess its clinical translational prospects.

Reviews

Antibiotic hybrids: A promising strategy to replenish the pipeline and combat antimicrobial resistance: Yeongseo Lee, Yeo Jin Kim, Minhee Oh, Joon-Ho Lee, Saemee Song, Jaesung Kwak; J. Microbiol. 2026;64(3):e2510006. Published online February 25, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2510006

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an ongoing threat to global health, with the number of deaths directly attributable to AMR projected to rise to 8 million. One of the main reasons for the current crisis is the depletion of antibiotic candidates in clinical pipelines. To address this, more preclinical candidates must be advanced into development. However, the scientific challenges and limited economic incentives associated with antibiotic research have further aggravated the situation. Antibiotic hybrids, which combine two antibiotics with different modes of action, have emerged as a promising strategy to overcome AMR and are already being developed for clinical use. This approach takes advantage of the strong selective pressure exerted when two bactericidal agents act simultaneously. Importantly, because hybrids are administered as a single chemical entity, they may offer advantages over conventional combination therapies, such as simplified pharmacokinetics and dosing. Furthermore, since clinically validated antibiotics are used as the building blocks of hybrids, this strategy provides an efficient platform for generating new lead compounds. Recently, the concept of antibiotic hybrids has expanded beyond antibiotic–antibiotic conjugates to include the attachment of functional molecules designed to mitigate the disadvantages of the parent antibiotics. In this review, we summarize the definition of antibiotic hybrids, highlight representative compounds that have entered clinical evaluation, and discuss recent advances in their development.

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Pioneering strategies for overcoming bacterial drug resistance
Byoung Sik Kim
Journal of Microbiology.2026; 64(3): e2603100. CrossRef

The rise and future of peptide-based antimicrobials: Hyo Jung Kim; J. Microbiol. 2026;64(3):e2510002. Published online January 30, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.71150/jm.2510002

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