Virulence is a fully open access peer-reviewed journal. All articles will (if accepted) be available for anyone to read anywhere, at any time immediately on publication. Virulence is the first international peer-reviewed journal of its kind to focus exclusively on microbial pathogenicity, the infection process and host-pathogen interactions. To address the new infectious challenges, emerging infectious agents and antimicrobial resistance, there is a clear need for interdisciplinary research.