EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: Description of Three New Peptoniphilus Species Cultured in the Vaginal Fluid of a Woman Diagnosed with Bacterial Vaginosis: Peptoniphilus pacaensis sp. nov., Peptoniphilus raoultii sp. nov., and Peptoniphilus vaginalis sp. nov

TL;DR

This paper alerts readers to ethical concerns regarding a study that described three new Peptoniphilus species found in a woman's vaginal fluid.

Contribution

The paper raises concerns about the ethical compliance of a microbiology study involving human subjects.

Findings

Ethical concerns were raised about the study's adherence to French legal requirements.

An Expression of Concern was issued by the journal to inform readers.

The investigation into the study's compliance is ongoing.

Abstract

EXPRESSION OF CONCERN: K. Diop, A. Diop, C. Michelle, M. Richez, J. Rathored, F. Bretelle, P.‐E. Fournier, and F. Fenollar, “Description of Three New Peptoniphilus Species Cultured in the Vaginal Fluid of a Woman Diagnosed with Bacterial Vaginosis: Peptoniphilus pacaensis sp. nov., Peptoniphilus raoultii sp. nov., and Peptoniphilus vaginalis sp. nov.,” Microbiology Open 8, no. 3 (2019): e00661, https://doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.661.

This Expression of Concern is for the above article, published online on 21 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. The investigation into these concerns is ongoing. Therefore, the journal has decided to issue an Expression of Concern to inform and alert readers.