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Short answer
Cell Host & Microbe is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal launched in March 2007 by Cell Press (Elsevier). The journal provides a high-profile forum dedicated to the molecular and cellular interface between microbes and their hosts. It operates under a hybrid publishing model featuring traditional subscription publication alongside an optional Gold Open Access track.
Definition and scope
Cell Host & Microbe (Print ISSN: 1931-3128, Electronic ISSN: 1934-6069, NLM Unique ID: 101302316) is indexed in MEDLINE under Microbiology. The journal’s central editorial remit is the integrated study of microbes—pathogenic, opportunistic, and commensal bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites—in direct communication with their eukaryotic hosts.
Unlike microbiology journals focused strictly on microbial genetics or clinical journals focused on epidemiology, Cell Host & Microbe prioritizes studies where the host-microbe interaction is the primary biological focus. Core domains include:
- Molecular Pathogenesis: Virulence factors, secretion systems, viral entry, fungal morphogenesis, and parasite cellular invasion mechanisms.
- Host Defense & Immune Evasion: Innate recognition (pattern recognition receptors, inflammasome signaling), mucosal barrier biology, and microbial strategies for immune subversion.
- Microbiome Dynamics: Metagenomic and metabolomic analyses of commensal communities demonstrating causal host phenotypic outcomes.
- Therapeutics & Countermeasures: Mechanism-guided antimicrobials, phage therapy, and vaccine antigen discovery. Antigen design principles are detailed in our guide to protein subunit vaccines.
Within Cell Press, the journal aligns with sister titles such as Cell and Immunity, using standardized contributor roles as outlined in our guide to author contribution requirements.
How it works or how it is used in practice
Publishing in Cell Host & Microbe involves strict editorial criteria to ensure experimental reproducibility and reporting transparency.
1. Article Formats and Submission Boundaries
- Research Articles: Primary research studies limited to ~7,000 words in the main text, a 150-word Summary, and up to 7 display items (figures/tables).
- Short Articles: Focused, single-hypothesis mechanistic discoveries constrained to ~4,000 words and up to 4 display items.
- Reviews and Perspectives: Authoritative syntheses of emerging topics, typically commissioned or evaluated by editorial inquiry.
2. The STAR Methods Framework
Like other Cell Press titles, the journal requires all primary research manuscripts to utilize STAR Methods (Structured, Transparent, Accessible Reporting):
- Key Resources Table: Documents antibodies, strains, viral stocks, assay kits, reagents, and software with Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs) and catalog numbers.
- Contact and Materials Availability: Identifies the lead contact and conditions for sharing resources.
- Experimental Model and Subject Details: Documents animal models, approvals, and microbial culturing, which can be evaluated against our guide on colony morphology.
- Method Details: Full procedural protocols, kept distinct from the main text word count.
- Quantification & Statistical Analysis: Clear definitions of sample size, replicates, and statistical tests. Computational pipelines should align with reporting practices discussed in PLOS Computational Biology.
- Data & Code Availability: Explicit statements detailing repository accession numbers for public data access.
3. Data and Resource Deposition Standards
Accepted manuscripts require public dataset deposition prior to publication:
- Sequencing Data: Deposited in NCBI GEO, SRA, or ArrayExpress. Large-scale cohort practices align with data models from the Human Microbiome Project.
- Structural Coordinates: Deposited in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) or EMDB.
- Custom Code: Analysis scripts archived on public repositories (e.g., GitHub, Zenodo) with persistent DOIs.
Types or related concepts
Selecting an appropriate publication venue in host defense and microbiology requires comparing editorial scopes, publishing models, and APCs.
| Journal / Venue | Publisher | Core Editorial Focus | Publishing Model | Article Publishing Charge (APC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cell Host & Microbe | Cell Press (Elsevier) | Deep mechanistic host-pathogen crosstalk, mucosal immunology, and functional microbiome biology. | Hybrid (Subscription or Gold OA) | $10,400 USD / £8,330 GBP / €9,640 EUR (Open Access); $0 (Subscription) |
| Immunity | Cell Press (Elsevier) | Fundamental immunology, immune cell signaling, lymphoid development, and autoimmune mechanisms. | Hybrid (Subscription or Gold OA) | $10,400 USD (Open Access); $0 (Subscription) |
| Nature Microbiology | Nature Portfolio | Broad microbiology, microbial ecology, environmental genomics, and microbial interactions. | Hybrid (Subscription or Gold OA) | Tier 1 Nature Portfolio APC (~$11,690 USD); $0 (Subscription) |
| Frontiers in Microbiology | Frontiers Media | Broad spectrum microbiology across environmental, industrial, and medical subfields. | Fully Open Access (Gold OA) | Standard APC ($3,295 USD) as outlined in our Frontiers in Microbiology guide |
| PLOS Pathogens | PLOS | Host-pathogen interaction mechanisms in virology, bacteriology, and mycology. | Fully Open Access (Gold OA) | Community Action Publishing / Flat APC (~$3,800 USD) |
Where it matters for labs, clinics or supply decisions
Understanding the journal’s logistical and economic expectations is vital for research groups planning grant allocations and submission schedules.
1. Laboratory Pre-Submission Readiness Checklist
- Mechanistic Reciprocity: Does the study establish both sides of the interaction, rather than examining isolated bacterial genetics without host consequences?
- Physiological Relevance: Are in vitro observations validated in physiological infection models or primary tissue explants?
- Reagent Validation: Are antibodies, cell lines, and plasmids authenticated with RRIDs and lot numbers in the Key Resources Table?
- FAIR Data Compliance: Are raw sequencing files and structural coordinates uploaded to public repositories with immediate access upon publication?
2. Publication Economics and Grant Planning
- Subscription Track ($0): Authors publish without author-facing fees. The article is accessible behind a subscription paywall, and public access mandates are satisfied via repository self-archiving.
- Gold Open Access Track ($10,400 USD): Immediate open access under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0), paid via an Article Publishing Charge.
- Transformative Agreements: Many institutions hold Read and Publish agreements with Elsevier that cover hybrid APCs. Authors should check institutional eligibility prior to acceptance.
- Funder Mandates: Researchers funded by agencies with open access policies (e.g., NIH Public Access Policy, Plan S) must confirm APC coverage or deposit manuscripts into PubMed Central (PMC).
Common misunderstandings
- Myth: Purely descriptive 16S surveys are in scope.
Reality: The journal routinely triages descriptive microbial surveys lacking functional perturbation. Microbiome studies must demonstrate causality through mechanistic models. - Myth: STAR Methods counts toward the 7,000-word limit.
Reality: STAR Methods is unconstrained by the main-text word count, allowing thorough procedural documentation. - Myth: The journal only publishes high-consequence pathogens.
Reality: In addition to viral and bacterial pathogens, the journal frequently publishes commensal mutualism, probiotic biology, and plant-microbe symbioses. - Myth: Gold Open Access is mandatory.
Reality: Open access is optional. Authors without institutional support or grant subsidies can publish at no charge via the subscription route.
FAQ
What is the difference between a Research Article and a Short Article?
A Research Article presents an extensive biological investigation constrained to ~7,000 words and up to 7 display items. A Short Article covers a focused, single-mechanism discovery limited to ~4,000 words and up to 4 display items. Both formats require STAR Methods and a 150-word Summary.
What is the Article Publishing Charge (APC) for Cell Host & Microbe?
The journal offers a traditional subscription route with $0 author publishing fees. For authors choosing Gold Open Access, the APC is $10,400 USD (£8,330 GBP / €9,640 EUR), which may be covered by institutional transformative agreements.
What are the STAR Methods requirements?
Authors must submit structured modules including a Key Resources Table (with RRIDs and catalog numbers), Contact and Materials Availability, Experimental Model and Subject Details, Method Details, Quantification and Statistical Analysis, and Data and Code Availability.
Does Cell Host & Microbe accept microbiome studies without functional assays?
Generally, no. The journal prioritizes causal mechanistic insights into host-microbe interactions. Purely correlative sequencing studies lacking experimental validation are typically directed to specialized genomic journals.
Sources
- US National Library of Medicine (NLM). “Cell Host & Microbe.” NLM Catalog Record, UID: 101302316. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/101302316
- Crossref. “Cell Host & Microbe Metadata Profile.” Registered ISSN: 1931-3128, DOIs: 3,639. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://api.crossref.org/journals/1931-3128
- OpenAlex. “Source: Cell Host & Microbe.” Source ID: S207313999, Cell Press / Elsevier. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://api.openalex.org/sources?filter=issn:1931-3128
- Europe PMC / PubMed Central (EMBL-EBI / NCBI). “Cell Host & Microbe Archive.” Indexed records: >3,634. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.ebi.ac.uk/europepmc/webservices/rest/search?query=JOURNAL:%22Cell%20Host%20Microbe%22&format=json
