Expression OF Concern: Eggerthella timonensis sp. nov, A New Species Isolated from the Stool Sample of a Pygmy Female

TL;DR

This paper addresses ethical concerns about a study introducing a new bacterial species from a stool sample, raising questions about consent and conflicts of interest.

Contribution

The paper highlights unresolved ethical and legal concerns regarding a newly described bacterial species and its publication.

Findings

Ethical concerns were raised about informed consent in a study involving a vulnerable population.

A potential conflict of interest was reported for co-author Didier Raoult.

The journal issued an Expression of Concern due to ongoing investigations.

Abstract

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: M. Bilen, M.D.M. Fonkou, E. Tomei, N. Armstrong, F. Bittar, J.‐C. Lagier, Z. Daoud, P.‐E. Fournier, D. Raoult, and F. Cadoret, “Eggerthella timonensis sp. nov, A New Species Isolated from the Stool Sample of a Pygmy Female,” Microbiology Open 7, no. 5 (2018): e00575, https://doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.575.

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 concern has also been raised by a third party about a potential conflict of interest for co‐author for Didier Raoult. The investigation into these concerns is ongoing. Therefore, the journal has decided to issue an Expression of Concern to inform and alert readers.