The evolution of pathogenic bacteria has allowed many microbes to develop resistance mechanisms against conventional antibiotics, leading to the search for new therapeutic alternatives. As such, the clinical uses of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are among the most promising alternative options to circumvent the proliferation of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. AMPs are produced by a wide variety of organisms and have a broad and largely non-specific activity, a characteristic that strongly qualifies them as potent candidates for pharmacological applications. Indeed, the continuous discovery of new AMP groups in diverse microorganisms has expanded their potential as a new generation of antimicrobial agents for treating bacterial diseases in humans and also in animals. Intriguingly, the broad spectrum of biological activities reported for many of these molecules suggests that AMPs could also be incorporated in integrative regimen strategies against viral, fungal, parasitic diseases, and cancer, as well as in modulation of the immune system. These possibilities reinforce the importance of studying the biological and applied properties of AMPs.

This special issue focuses mainly on original research and review articles that highlight the importance of AMPs in the natural biology of microorganisms, including bacterial cell communication processes, their potential applied use in human and veterinary medicine, and immune response modulation in animals and plant defenses. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

Natural or Synthetic Antimicrobial Peptides as

• Anti-infectious agents including AMPs with antibacterial, -fungal, -viral, or -protozoan activities
• Novel cancer therapeutics including cytotoxic peptides or apoptosis inductors
• Immunomodulatory agents including modulators of innate and adaptive responses

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal’s Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/bmri/microbiology/peptid/ according to the following timetable: