EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: Genomic and Phenotypic Description of the Newly Isolated Human Species Collinsella bouchesdurhonensis sp. nov

TL;DR

This paper raises concerns about the ethical and legal compliance of a study claiming to describe a new human-associated microbial species.

Contribution

The paper highlights unresolved ethical and scientific concerns regarding the isolation and classification of a new microbial species.

Findings

Questions have been raised about adherence to French legal and ethical requirements for human subject research.

A third party questioned whether the described microbial strain is truly a novel species.

An ongoing investigation prompted the journal to issue an Expression of Concern.

Abstract

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: M. Bilen, M. Beye, M.D.M. Fonkou, S. Khelaifia, F. Cadoret, N. Armstrong, T.T. Nguyen, J. Delerce, Z. Daoud, D. Raoult, and P.‐E. Fournier, “Genomic and Phenotypic Description of the Newly Isolated Human Species Collinsella bouchesdurhonensis sp. nov.,” Microbiology Open 7, no. 5 (2018): e00580, https://doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.580.

This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 13 June 2018 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. A question has also been raised by a third party about whether this particular article by the authors reports a “newly isolated” microbial strain that is in fact a “novel species.” The investigation into all of these concerns is ongoing. Therefore, the journal has decided to issue an Expression of Concern to inform and alert readers.