Call for Manuscripts

The Journal of Infectious Diseases (JID) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) are inviting submissions for a thematic supplement titled “Advances in Identifying Microbial Pathogenesis in Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that can affect memory, thinking, and behavior. It impacts 6.6 million Americans 65 years of age and older and 47 million people worldwide.

The idea that bacteria, viruses, or other infectious pathogens may play a role in Alzheimer’s disease was first proposed more than 30 years ago. Since then, the idea has encountered considerable resistance in the research community. Until recently, it had been largely displaced in favor of approaches based on the amyloid hypothesis, the leading theory of Alzheimer’s, which identifies plaques of amyloid beta and tangles of tau protein as underlying drivers of the disease.

The research landscape for Alzheimer’s disease is evolving with the repeated failures of amyloid-targeting drugs along with increasing research supporting a microbial link to the onset of Alzheimer’s. Finding a potential missing link between infection and chronic disease could support early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and pave the way for prevention and new treatments that slow the disease.

JID and IDSA encourage authors to submit manuscripts that provide evidence to further our understanding of research on Alzheimer’s disease and infectious disease. Manuscripts will include the following topics as related to the relationship between infectious diseases and Alzheimer’s disease:

• Bacteriology

• Virology

• Immunology

• Microbiology

• Neurology

Article Types and Examples

The following types of articles are acceptable: original research, public health evaluation, public health methodology, correspondence letters, viewpoint, perspectives, research-oriented reviews, editorials, case studies, brief reports, reports and recommendations, and commentaries. For more details about specific article types and corresponding review criteria, see JID’s Instructions to Authors.

Submissions should be scholarly in nature and offer a clear contribution to new scientific knowledge or public health practice.

A list of examples includes (but is not limited to):

• Analysis of infectious agents (including bacterial, viral, microbial, and immunological factors) associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease

• Therapies, interventions, or infectious agents that may mediate or reduce the risk or progression of Alzheimer’s disease

Process and Due Dates

Authors are requested to first submit abstracts for consideration by JID and the supplement guest editors. Abstracts are due to JID by midnight September 22, 2023. They should be submitted to this page. Please see the following directions:

• Select “Submit a Manuscript”

• Choose “Alzheimer’s Supplement – Abstract” as the article type

For abstracts that are accepted, authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts that will then undergo peer review. Supplement submissions will be held to the same peer-review standards as other submissions to JID. Invited authors will be asked to submit their full manuscripts by January 2, 2024.

Questions?

Please address questions about this call for papers to one of the supplement organizers:
Dr. Amari Pearson-Fields (APearson-Fields@idsociety.org) or Amy Shapley (AShapley@idsociety.org).