Parasites, ranging from bacteria to multicellular eukaryotes, exhibit sophisticated life cycles and develop complex interactions with their hosts. The development and application of high-throughput omics techniques enabling simultaneous analysis of virtually all genes, transcripts, and proteins has greatly facilitated research in parasite biology. At the dawn of the sequencing era, the sequencing of parasites’ genomes led to the identification of numerous novel virulence factors and potential drug targets. Nowadays, multi-omics approaches are becoming instrumental for pinpointing molecules and pathways involved in parasite development and its complex network of interactions with the host.

For this BMC Genomics Collection, we welcome submissions generating or analyzing omics data (including, but not limited to, genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic data) or combining them to shed light on parasites’ biology and the molecular basis of host-parasite interactions. The scope of this Collection is wide and submissions on any kind of parasites are welcome.

If you have a data note to submit, please submit to our sister collection Omics of parasites data notes in BMC Genomic Data.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer-review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.

For many years now, the study of pathogens’ genomes has enabled more accurate and timely diagnostics while allowing the tracking of specific strains or isolates. This can help discover the source of a specific epidemic and how it spreads, which in turn informs the best way to contain it. However, recent advances in third-generation sequencing techniques and the bioinformatics tools linked with them have transformed practice. It is now possible to sequence individual genomes much faster and much cheaper, which is opening new avenues for pathogen tracking, even in areas with limited funding such as the global South.

Advances in genomic technologies will also facilitate the emergence of personalized medicine approaches tailored to specific infections—such as genome-guided antiretroviral therapy for HIV or drug-resistance profiling in tuberculosis. Real-time genomic surveillance, exemplified by platforms like GISAID or other repositories during the COVID-19 pandemic, enables rapid detection and monitoring of emerging variants, thus improving public health responses.

This Collection invites submissions looking at human pathogens genomes and data sets to build on the knowledge already accumulated. We will also consider rapid diagnostics datasets and new techniques in genomic studies of human pathogens.

If you have a data note to submit, please submit to our sister collection Genomics of human pathogens data notes in BMC Genomic Data.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

- Genomic characterization of bacterial pathogens

- New genomes of pathogens or strains

- Viral genomics and infection dynamics

- Comparative genomics of human parasites

- Microbial resistance mechanisms in pathogens

- Genomic epidemiology of infectious diseases

- Host-pathogen genomic interactions

- Metagenomic approaches to pathogen discovery

- Evolutionary genomics of emerging infections

- Functional genomics and regulatory networks in pathogens

This Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3, Good Health & Well-Being.

All manuscripts submitted to this journal, including those submitted to collections and special issues, are assessed in line with our editorial policies and the journal’s peer-review process. Reviewers and editors are required to declare competing interests and can be excluded from the peer review process if a competing interest exists.