The Value of a “One Health” Approach—The Updated Scope of Acta Microbiologica Hellenica

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the resilience of public health sectors worldwide. It has demonstrated the need to find more effective ways to conduct, share, and communicate science in order to promote public health strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, and control of diseases. It has also emphasized the urgent necessity of a “One Health” approach that unifies human, animal, and environmental health, including much more surveillance and research on disease threats [1,2].

One Health embraces the idea that the health of people, animals, plants, and their shared environment are closely linked and interdependent at the global, national, and local levels. It requires collaboration between relevant sectors and disciplines, such as human and veterinary medicine, epidemiology, agriculture, environmental and social sciences, and governance. The complex nature of the interactions between people, animals, plants, and ecosystems renders this multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach critical for addressing future health risks and challenges [3].

For Acta Microbiologica Hellenica, which, for almost seven decades, has been constantly fostering communication and interaction among all branches of microbiology and medical biopathology, the One Health approach emerges as a crucial force that will shape the course of pandemics, a critical paradigm and a scientific field with promising prospects. Research in this direction is necessary in order to develop the most efficient policies for disease prevention and management, encompassing the public health, animal health, and agricultural sectors. The basic scope of this journal will remain the same, but the topics it covers have been updated and broadened, as indicated in

Table 1. Changes in the scope of Acta Microbiologica Hellenica.

Scope (New Version)

Scope (Old Version)

This journal welcomes submissions on all aspects of medical microbiology and related fields of medical biopathology from authors worldwide, including, but not limited to, bacteriology, parasitology, mycology, virology, the history of microbiology, laboratory hematology, medical biochemistry, and immunology. Also, a particular focus of this journal is the publication of study findings related to animal health and our shared environment in order to achieve sustainable disease prevention and control within the One Health approach.

This journal welcomes submissions on all aspects of medical microbiology and related fields of medical biopathology from authors worldwide, including, but not limited to, bacteriology, parasitology, mycology, virology, the history of microbiology, laboratory hematology, medical biochemistry, and immunology.

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Human activities and stressed ecosystems have created new conditions that have facilitated the emergence and spread of diseases. Our mission remains to provide scientists in the fields of clinical microbiology, laboratory hematology, medical biochemistry, and immunology with outstanding articles that enhance research and education and to offer them more scientific tools to enable them to contribute not only to the everyday care of patients but also to the management of various public health crises. On behalf of the Editorial Board and the rest of the team, I welcome you to our journal, a member of the MDPI family, and encourage you to submit your original research. We look forward to your contributions and support.