EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: Taxonogenomics Description of Parabacteroides timonensis sp. nov. Isolated from a Human Stool Sample

TL;DR

This paper alerts readers to ethical concerns regarding a study describing a new bacterial species from a human stool sample.

Contribution

The paper raises concerns about adherence to legal and ethical standards in human subject research.

Findings

Questions were raised about informed consent in the study involving vulnerable populations.

The journal issued an Expression of Concern to alert readers about potential ethical violations.

Abstract

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: M. Bilen, M.D.M. Fonkou, S. Khelaifia, E. Tomei, F. Cadoret, Z. Daoud, N. Armstrong, F. Bittar, P.‐E. Fournier, D. Raoult, and G. Dubourg, “Taxonogenomics Description of Parabacteroides timonensis sp. nov. Isolated from a Human Stool Sample,” Microbiology Open 8, no. 4 (2019): e00702, https://doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.702.

This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 11 October 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. The investigation into these concerns is ongoing. Therefore, the journal has decided to issue an Expression of Concern to inform and alert the readers.