The new Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology section publishes research addressing human health and diseases mediated by host-associated microbiota.

The role of the microbiome and its implications for human health have only recently begun to be understood. Microbiota communities — which include bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microbes living in association with a host organism — have been shown to impact not only obesity, but also common and devastating diseases such as cancer.

To further research in this field and ensure important findings are freely accessible to all, Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology is pleased to welcome Professor Andrew Gewirtz of Georgia State University, USA, as Chief Editor for its new specialty section Microbiome in Health and Disease.

The launch of this section is timely. As a rapidly developing field, Prof. Gewirtz emphasizes the need to “rigorously critique yet be highly respectful of each other’s work, including recognizing that sometimes high-quality studies can produce important but not necessarily paradigm shifting results.”

Until now, there has been no dedicated place for this high-quality research, with papers scattered across more generalized journals. The new Microbiome in Health and Disease section provides a transparent, open-access platform to bring this research together and drive the microbiome field forward.

A world-renowned expert in innate immunity and gut microbiome research, Professor Andrew Gewirtz, of Georgia State University, USA, never set out to specifically study and research the microbiome. However, in exploring the underlying causes of chronic inflammatory disease, he discovered that the microbiome plays a critical role in driving disease and thus is a major factor in the health of the human body.

Prof. Gewirtz welcomes research that explores how microbiota interacts with pathogenic microbes, how microbes contribute to classic chronic inflammatory diseases, and different microbial communities such as the human skin microbiome, oral microbiome and gut microbiome.

“Both the scientific community, and those who fund our work, are best served when completed peer-reviewed studies are made freely available to all. Certainly, as an author, I want anyone interested in my work to have unfettered access to it. You never know where great insight or idea might come from.”

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology extends a warm welcome to Prof. Gewirtz and his outstanding editorial board.

Microbiome in Health and Disease is now open for high-quality article submissions and welcomes Research Topic proposals.

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