Inflammation and Immune Tolerance in Infectious Diseases: Mechanisms, Biomarkers and Therapeutic Opportunities

Inflammation is a fundamental component of host defense against infectious agents, facilitating the elimination of pathogens through responses that range from broad, non-specific pathways, to highly focused, specific mechanisms. However, uncontrolled or persistent inflammation can result in immunopathology and contribute substantially to disease severity. In parallel, immune tolerance mechanisms regulate infection outcomes by limiting tissue damage and maintaining physiological function, although excessive tolerance may allow pathogen persistence or alter disease progression. Prolonged immune tolerance may also increase susceptibility to opportunistic infections or impair vaccine responses. The balance between inflammatory resistance and immune tolerance is therefore a critical determinant of infectious disease outcomes. Advances in immunology, genomics, single-cell technologies and systems biology are providing new opportunities to define the cellular and molecular pathways underlying this balance. Understanding these mechanisms across different infectious diseases may reveal common biological principles, disease-specific responses and opportunities for developing improved biomarkers and host-directed therapeutic strategies.

The goal of this Special Issue is to provide a panel of high-quality papers that may help elucidate mechanisms that determine the balance between inflammation, pathogen control, and immune tolerance in determining the pathogenesis and clinical outcomes of infections. These mechanisms encompass changes in cellular distribution and function, as well as transcriptional regulation and cellular signaling.

Ultimately, the Special Issue collection aims to advance understanding of host–pathogen interactions and identify pathways that can be exploited for improved diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. Greater integration of mechanistic and translational research may support the development of host-directed and precision-medicine approaches that control harmful inflammation while preserving effective antimicrobial immunity.

The Special Issue invites contributions from research integrating immunology with host genetics, genomics, transcriptomics, single-cell analysis, spatial biology, and systems biology. Studies identifying molecular or cellular biomarkers associated with disease progression, severity, or treatment response are also encouraged.

The issue will welcome Original Research Articles, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Methods/Technology Articles and Perspectives addressing these themes. Studies involving bacterial, viral, parasitic, and other infectious diseases are encouraged. Interdisciplinary contributions integrating experimental, clinical, and computational approaches are particularly welcome.

Article types and fees

This Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Issue description:

• Brief Communication
• Commentary
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Issue accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Issue description:

• Brief Communication
• Commentary
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: Inflammation, Immune Tolerance, Infectious Diseases, Host–Pathogen Interactions, Immunity, Immunopathology, Immunoregulation, Biomarkers, Therapeutics, Precision Medicine