EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: Microvirga massiliensis sp. nov., the Human Commensal with the Largest Genome

TL;DR

A new human commensal bacterium with the largest genome was described, but concerns were raised about ethical compliance in the study.

Contribution

The paper introduced Microvirga massiliensis, a human commensal with the largest known genome.

Findings

Microvirga massiliensis was identified as a new species with a large genome.

The study raised ethical concerns about informed consent in research involving vulnerable populations.

Abstract

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: A. Caputo, J.‐C. Lagier, S. Azza, C. Robert, D. Mouelhi, P.‐E. Fournier, and D. Raoult, “Microvirga massiliensis sp. nov., the Human Commensal with the Largest Genome,” Microbiology Open 5, no. 2 (2016): 307–322, https://doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.329.

This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 8 January 2016 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), and has been issued by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. The Expression of Concern has been agreed due to questions raised about the study's adherence to French legal and ethical requirements for research involving human subjects, including questions regarding proper informed consent for research involving vulnerable populations. The investigation into these concerns is ongoing. Therefore, the journal has decided to issue an Expression of Concern to inform and alert readers.