Overview
Submission Instructions
Recent Publications
Frequently Asked Questions
Research Topics
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Cell Host & Microbe was launched in March 2007 and provides a forum for the exchange of ideas between scientists studying microbes and those studying host immune, cell biological, and molecular responses upon colonization or infection. The journal publishes novel findings related to bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses from molecular and cellular biology to translational studies, with particular emphasis on interactions between microbes and their hosts. It publishes primary research manuscripts as well as expert analysis, commentary, and reviews on topics of current interest in the field.
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Subject
Virology
Impact Factor
18.7
Quartile
Q1
Open Access Type
Hybrid
ISSN
1931-3128
eISSN
1934-6069
Invitation Only
No
Cost Range
No fee under the default subscription model; open access APC charges are referenced on the Cell Press open access page.
Submission Instructions
Cell Host & Microbe accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.
Research
Cover Letter
Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract
A single-paragraph Summary is required. The Summary must be 150 words or fewer. The Summary must be unstructured as a single paragraph.
Manuscript
The total word count must be under 7,000 words, including the title, author list, affiliations, main text, and main figure legends but excluding STAR Methods text, supplemental item legends, and references. The main document must include sections in this order: title, author list and affiliations, Lead Contact footnote, corresponding author email address(es), Summary, Introduction, Results, Discussion, Resource Availability, Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Declaration of Interests, main figure titles and legends, main tables and legends, STAR Methods text, supplemental video and Excel table titles and legends, and References. The manuscript must include a Resource Availability section with the subsections lead contact, materials availability, and data and code availability, an Author Contributions section using author initials, Highlights of 3 to 4 bullet points, an eTOC blurb of no more than 50 words, a Declaration of Interests section, and if applicable a Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process section.
References
References must be cited in numbered superscript style in consecutive order. References must be numbered by first citation order, use "et al." only after 10 author names, and article references must include the author list, year, article title, journal abbreviation, volume, page range, and DOI.
Figures & Tables
Articles may include no more than seven figures and/or tables. For accepted manuscripts, main figures must be uploaded individually as separate files and figure titles and legends and main-text tables must appear in the main manuscript at the end. Each figure file must contain all panels on a single page, figures containing micrographs must include scale bars, and tables must be editable Word tables rather than images.
Resource
Cover Letter
Cover letter should be included and explain prior knowledge, the conceptual advance, the significance and potential impact of the work, and whether the paper is part of a consortium. Cover letter should explain what was previously known, the conceptual advance provided by the work, the significance and potential impact of the work, and indicate if the paper is part of a consortium.
Abstract
Summary must be a single paragraph of no more than 150 words. Summary must be unstructured as a single paragraph.
Manuscript
Manuscript must have a total word count under 7,000 including the title, author list, affiliations, main text, and main figure legends but excluding STAR Methods text, supplemental item legends, and references. Manuscript must include, in order, title, author list and affiliations, Lead Contact footnote, corresponding author email address(es), Summary, Introduction, Results, Discussion, Resource Availability, Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Declaration of Interests, main figure titles and legends, main tables and legends, STAR Methods text, supplemental video and Excel table titles and legends, and References. Manuscript must include a Resource Availability section with lead contact, materials availability, and data and code availability subsections, an Author Contributions section using author initials, a Declaration of Interests section, a separate declaration section for any generative AI use in writing, up to 10 keywords after the Summary, and separate Highlights and eTOC blurb files.
References
References must use numbered superscript citations in consecutive order. References must be numbered sequentially by first citation and include only published or in-press items, with article references listing author list, year, title, journal abbreviation, volume, page range, and DOI.
Figures & Tables
No more than seven figures and/or tables may be included. For accepted manuscripts, main figures must be uploaded individually as separate files and figure titles and legends and main tables must appear in the main manuscript document. Tables must be editable Word tables rather than images and figures and tables must include descriptive titles.
Theory
Cover Letter
Cover letter should be included. Cover letter should explain what was previously known, the conceptual advance provided by the work, the significance and potential impact of the work, and whether the paper is part of a consortium.
Abstract
A summary or abstract is required. Summary must be a single paragraph of no more than 150 words. Summary must be unstructured as a single paragraph.
Manuscript
Main document should contain no more than 7,000 words including the title page and excluding STAR Methods, supplemental video and Excel table legends, and references. Main document must include title, author list and affiliations, Lead Contact footnote, corresponding author email addresses, Summary, Introduction, Results, Discussion, Resource Availability, Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Declaration of Interests, main figure titles and legends, main tables and legends, STAR Methods text, supplemental video and Excel table titles and legends, and References in that order. A separate Word document containing 3 to 4 Highlights, an eTOC blurb of no more than 50 words, a Declaration of Interests section in the manuscript, an Author Contributions section using initials, and if applicable a Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process must be provided.
References
References must use numbered superscript citations in consecutive order. References must be numbered by first citation order, use "et al." only after 10 author names, include only one article per reference, and article references must include the author list, year, title, journal abbreviation, volume, page range, and DOI.
Figures & Tables
Article should contain no more than seven main figures and/or tables. For accepted manuscripts, main figures must be uploaded individually as separate files while figure titles and legends and main-text tables must appear in the main manuscript. Tables must be editable Word tables rather than images and figures for two-column formats may have maximum widths of 8.5 cm for 1 column, 11.4 cm for 1.5 columns, and 17.4 cm for full width.
Clinical Translational Reports
Cover Letter
Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract
Summary must be a single paragraph of no more than 150 words. Summary must be unstructured as a single paragraph.
Manuscript
Main document should contain no more than 7,000 words including the title page and excluding STAR Methods, supplemental video and Excel table legends, and references. Main document must include title, author list and affiliations, Lead Contact footnote, corresponding author email address(es), Summary, Introduction, Results, Discussion, Resource Availability, Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Declaration of Interests, main figure titles and legends, main tables and legends, STAR Methods text, supplemental video and Excel table titles and legends, and References in that order. Manuscript must include a Resource Availability section with lead contact, materials availability, and data and code availability subsections, an Author Contributions section using author initials, a Declaration of Interests section, separate Highlights and eTOC blurb files, and a Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process section if applicable.
References
References must be cited in numbered superscript style. References must be numbered sequentially by first citation, use et al. only after 10 author names, and include only published or in-press works in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Article should contain no more than seven main figures and/or tables. Main figures must be uploaded individually as separate files and main tables must appear at the end of the manuscript in a separate section after the figure legends. Each figure must have all panels together on a single page with a descriptive title and legend, and tables must be editable Word tables with a descriptive title and no panel subdivisions.
Review
Cover Letter
Cover letter should be included. Cover letter should explain what was previously known, the conceptual advance provided by the work, the significance and potential impact of the work, and indicate if the paper is part of a consortium.
Abstract
Abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 150 words. Abstract should be unstructured as a single paragraph.
Manuscript
Manuscript should be 5,000 to 8,000 words in length, including the abstract. Manuscript must include sections in this order: title, author list and affiliations, Lead Contact footnote, corresponding author email address(es), Summary, Introduction, Results, Discussion, Resource Availability, Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Declaration of Interests, main figure titles and legends, main tables and legends, STAR Methods text, supplemental video and Excel table titles and legends, and References. Manuscript must include Highlights of 3 to 4 bullet points, an eTOC blurb of no more than 50 words, a Declaration of Interests section, and if applicable a declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.
References
References may include up to 100 entries. References must use numbered superscript citations in Vancouver-style format. References must be numbered sequentially by first citation, use "et al." only after 10 author names, and include full publication details with DOI where applicable.
Figures & Tables
Manuscript may include three to five figures. For accepted manuscripts, figures must be uploaded individually as separate files and table content must appear in the manuscript rather than as images. Tables must be editable Word tables, and figure maximum widths are 8.5 cm for 1 column, 11.4 cm for 1.5 columns, and 17.4 cm for full-page width.
Minireview
Cover Letter
Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract
An abstract is required and must not exceed 100 words. The abstract must be no more than 100 words.
Manuscript
The article may be 3,500 to 5,000 words in length including the abstract. A separate Word document containing 3 to 4 Highlights and an eTOC blurb of no more than 50 words is required, and any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technology in writing must be disclosed in a section after the Declaration of Interests.
References
The article may include no more than 35 references. References must be cited as consecutively numbered superscripts, and “et al.” should be used only after 10 author names.
Figures & Tables
The article may include 1 to 3 figures. For accepted manuscripts, figures must be uploaded individually as separate files and tables must appear at the end of the manuscript. Tables must be editable Word tables rather than images, and figure maximum widths are 8.5 cm for one column, 11.4 cm for 1.5 columns, and 17.4 cm for full-page width.
Short Article
Cover Letter
Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract
A summary is required. The summary must be a single paragraph of no more than 150 words. The summary must be unstructured as a single paragraph.
Manuscript
The manuscript must be under 4,000 words including the title, author names and affiliations, summary, and figure legends, but excluding STAR Methods text, supplemental item legends, and references. The manuscript must include the sections title, author list and affiliations, Lead Contact footnote, corresponding author email address(es), Summary, Introduction, Results, Discussion, Resource Availability, Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Declaration of Interests, main figure titles and legends, main tables and legends, STAR Methods text, supplemental video and Excel table titles and legends, and References in that order. The manuscript must include a Resource Availability section with the subsections lead contact, materials availability, and data and code availability, an Author Contributions section using author initials, a Declaration of Interests section, Highlights and an eTOC blurb as separate submission items, and a declaration section after Declaration of Interests if generative AI or AI-assisted writing tools were used.
References
References must be cited in numbered superscript style. References must be numbered sequentially by first citation, include only published or in-press works, and use et al. only after 10 author names.
Figures & Tables
The article may include no more than 4 figures and/or tables, no more than 4 supplemental figures, and up to 8 supplemental items in total for tables and/or movies. For accepted manuscripts, main figures must be uploaded individually as separate files and figure titles and legends and main-text tables must appear in the main manuscript at the end. Each figure must include all panels on a single page with a descriptive title, and tables must be editable Word tables with a descriptive title and no panel subdivisions.
Brief Report
Cover Letter
Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract
Summary must be a single paragraph of no more than 150 words. Summary must be unstructured as a single paragraph.
Manuscript
Main text must not exceed 2,500 words, excluding STAR Methods, figure legends, and references. Manuscript must include a Resource Availability section with the subsections lead contact, materials availability, and data and code availability, and the experimental procedures section must be presented as part of the supplemental information. Manuscript must include an author contributions section using initials to concisely describe each author's contributions, and if generative AI or AI-assisted technology was used in the writing process, a declaration section must appear after the Declaration of Interests section.
References
References must be cited in numbered superscript style. References must be numbered sequentially by first citation, use 'et al.' only after 10 author names, and include only published or in-press material in the reference list.
Figures & Tables
Brief Reports may include no more than two main figures and/or tables, no more than two supplemental figures, and up to four supplemental items total including tables and/or movies. Main figures must be uploaded individually as separate files with figure titles and legends placed at the end of the main manuscript, while experimental procedures must appear in the supplemental information. Tables must be editable Word tables rather than images, and each figure file must contain all panels together on a single page.
Recent Publications
Intracellular acidification by microbiota-derived valeric acid facilitates trans-kingdom ecology limiting Candida parapsilosis colonization
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Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to publish?
3 days from submission to first decision; 77 days from submission to acceptance.
Reformat to Cell Host & Microbe using Livewrite PremiumIs a cover letter required?
A cover letter is included among the materials to prepare for submission and a cover letter or point-by-point response is included for final submission.
Reformat to Cell Host & Microbe using Livewrite PremiumWhat are the publication costs?
No fee to publish under the default subscription model. Open access APC charges apply and are listed on the Cell Press open access page.
Reformat to Cell Host & Microbe using Livewrite PremiumResearch Topics
Gut microbiota and health
Mosquito-borne diseases and control
HIV Research and Treatment
Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
interferon and immune responses
Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
Immune Cell Function and Interaction
Vibrio bacteria research studies
Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity
Viral Infections and Vectors
Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus research
SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
Immune Response and Inflammation
Probiotics and Fermented Foods
Malaria Research and Control
Escherichia coli research studies
CRISPR and Genetic Engineering
Influenza Virus Research Studies
Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
Toxoplasma gondii Research Studies
Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments
Diet and metabolism studies
Plant Virus Research Studies
Autophagy in Disease and Therapy