ANNUAL REPORT AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY JOURNALS 2020 2020 ANNUAL REPORT The past year has been marked by numerous challenges and opportunities. I am proud of the work that the staff and volunteers have put into the continued success of ASM’s journals program. Nearly all of us have been working from home as we balance our professional and personal responsibilities. In spite of the increased demands on our time, personal stress, and a surge in manuscripts addressing SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, editors and reviewers have stepped up to ensure the continued high quality of the papers we publish. The outpouring of support from our volunteers has solidified my sense that a publishing model that depends on scientists and supports scientists is the most effective way of disseminating the most important research. I cannot overstate my appreciation for your contributions to ASM. Thank you! PAT SCHLOSS The last year also highlighted the negative effects that racism has across society. That includes our scientific community. I am grateful to my colleagues on the CHAIR, JOURNALS COMMITTEE Journals Committee for stepping up and publishing “The ASM Journals Committee Values the Contributions of Black Microbiologists.” Racism has had an effect on every aspect of microbiology, and the journals program is committed to working to eradicate it from ASM. In that editorial, which was published in every one of our journals, we laid out concrete action items that we are dedicated to addressing in the coming years. In this report you will find some of the metrics we are tracking to help assess our progress. We expect that the members of ASM will continue to challenge us to improve. This year also marks a number of changes within the leadership of the journals program. Using an open search process, we appointed three new Editors in Chief for the Journal of Bacteriology, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and Microbiology Spectrum. We will miss the retiring Editors in Chief and are grateful for their service to ASM. We look forward to working with the new Editors in Chief as we constantly seek to improve the experience of authors at our journals. It is notable that Microbiology Spectrum has been relaunched as an open access journal that reaches editorial decisions without regard for the potential impact of the manuscript. The journal is off to a great start, and the quick adoption of this journal by so many microbiologists has been impressive. In the coming years, we hope to leverage the success of Microbiology Spectrum to facilitate the conversion of all of our journals to a fully open access model. As I mentioned in last year’s report, despite the challenges our world faces, this is an exciting time to be a microbiologist. We are proud to be able to serve our authors and readers. Pat Schloss Chair, Journals Committee EDITORS PAGE ASM Journals thanks all of our Editors for their many years of service to the community. In particular, we thank our retiring Editors in Chief for their leadership and welcome our incoming Editors in Chief. RETIRING HAROLD L. DRAKE THOMAS J. SILHAVY MICHAEL SADOWSKY University of Bayreuth Princeton University University of Minnesota Applied and Environmental Journal of Bacteriology Microbiology Spectrum Microbiology INCOMING CHRISTINA CUOMO GEORGE A. O’TOOLE GEMMA REGUERA Genomic Center for Infectious Geisel School of Medicine Michigan State University Diseases of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University Journal of Bacteriology Applied and Environmental Microbiology Microbiology Spectrum CURRENT TERM CESAR A. ARIAS JO-ANNE H. YOUNG SUSAN LOVETT University of Texas University of Minnesota Brandeis University Antimicrobial Agents and Clinical Microbiology Reviews EcoSal Plus Chemotherapy ANDREAS J. BÄUMLER ALEXANDER J. McADAM STANLEY MALOY University of California Boston Children’s Hospital San Diego State University Infection and Immunity Journal of Clinical Microbiology Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education ROZANNE M. SANDRI-GOLDIN ARTURO CASADEVALL CORRELLA (CORRIE) University of California, Irvine Johns Hopkins DETWEILER University of Colorado, Boulder Journal of Virology mBio Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews IRENE L. G. NEWTON PETER TONTONOZ MICHAEL IMPERIALE Indiana University, University of California, University of Michigan Bloomington Los Angeles mSphere Microbiology Resource Molecular and Cellular Biology Announcements JACK A. GILBERT University of California, San Diego mSystems AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY JOURNALS 3 2020 ANNUAL REPORT SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS In January 2020, the Journal of Virology received the first submission to ASM Journals on SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. As the pandemic progressed, submissions grew. Here, we highlight the top ten most highly read articles published by ASM Journals in 2020, all of which were on SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, as well as related collections, special issues, and podcasts. ANALYSIS OF MEASLES-MUMPS- RECEPTOR RECOGNITION BY THE COMPLETE GENOME SEQUENCE OF RUBELLA (MMR) TITERS OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS FROM WUHAN: A 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (SARS- RECOVERED COVID-19 PATIENTS AN ANALYSIS BASED ON DECADE- CoV-2) STRAIN ISOLATED IN NEPAL LONG STRUCTURAL STUDIES OF SARS CORONAVIRUS mBio Journal of Virology Microbiology Resource Announcements 10.1128/mbio.02628-20 10.1128/jvi.00127-20 10.1128/mra.00169-20 EFFECTIVENESS OF FACE MASKS MICROWAVE-GENERATED STEAM CORONAVIRUS DISEASE IN PREVENTING AIRBORNE DECONTAMINATION OF N95 2019–COVID-19 TRANSMISSION OF SARS-CoV-2 RESPIRATORS UTILIZING UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE MATERIALS mSphere mBio Clinical Microbiology Reviews 10.1128/msphere.00637-20 10.1128/mbio.00997-20 10.1128/cmr.00028-20 LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS OF COVID-19: 2019 NOVEL CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) COULD AN UNRELATED LIVE CURRENT ISSUES AND CHALLENGES PANDEMIC: BUILT ENVIRONMENT ATTENUATED VACCINE SERVE AS A CONSIDERATIONS TO REDUCE PREVENTIVE MEASURE TO DAMPEN TRANSMISSION SEPTIC INFLAMMATION ASSOCIATED WITH COVID-19 INFECTION? Journal of Clinical Microbiology mSystems mBio 10.1128/jcm.00512-20 10.1128/msystems.00245-20 10.1128/mbio.00907-20 REPORT FROM THE AMERICAN COLLECTION SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY COVID-19 All ASM papers related to SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 are free to read. INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT, 23 MARCH 2020: VALUE OF DIAGNOSTIC TESTING PODCASTS FOR SARS–CoV-2/COVID-19 Our Editors in Conversation podcast series covered multiple aspects of the pandemic, mBio including therapeutic options, diagnostic testing, the use of remdesivir against SARS- 10.1128/mbio.00722-20 CoV-2, vaccine development, how to manage the indoor environment to reduce transmission, and how clinical microbiologists are navigating the media spotlight. SPECIAL ISSUES A Micro-Comic, Journal of Clinical Microbiology Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education Journal of Clinical Microbiology Volume 22, issue 1, March 2021 Volume 58, issue 8, July 2020 JMBE’s special issue, “Teaching in a JCM’s special Issue on diagnostic Time of Crisis,” examines the testing for SARS-CoV-2 and impact of the pandemic on the lessons learned for clinical educators and students. microbiologists from the pandemic. Image: Alexander J. McAdam J. Clin. Microbiol. 2020; doi:10.1128/JCM.01011-20 non-SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Although the pandemic dominated our lives in many ways, influential research across the microbial sciences continued. Here, we highlight non-SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 research, reviews, and essays published in each of our ASM Journals that captured the community’s attention. COMMUNITY STRUCTURE FITNESS TRADE-OFFS DOES GENDER BIAS WHEN LONG OF ARBUSCULAR RESULTING FROM STILL AFFECT WOMEN NONCODING BECOMES MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI IN BACTERIOPHAGE IN SCIENCE? PROTEIN CODING SOILS OF SWITCHGRASS RESISTANCE POTENTIATE HARVESTED FOR SYNERGISTIC BIOENERGY ANTIBACTERIAL STRATEGIES Applied and Environmental Microbiology and Molecular and Cellular Biology Microbiology Infection and Immunity Molecular Biology Reviews 10.1128/MCB.00528-19 10.1128/AEM.00880-2 10.1128/IAI.00926-19 10.1128/MMBR.00018-1 MECHANISM-OF-ACTION ANTIMICROBIAL TYPE II TOXIN-ANTITOXIN ADVANCES IN CLASSIFICATION OF RESISTANCE IN ESKAPE SYSTEMS: EVOLUTION MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS ANTIBIOTICS BY GLOBAL PATHOGENS AND REVOLUTIONS OF TUBERCULOSIS TRANSCRIPTOME PROFILING Antimicrobial Agents and Clinical Microbiology Reviews Journal of Bacteriology Journal of Clinical Microbiology Chemotherapy 10.1128/CMR.00181-19 10.1128/JB.00763-19 10.1128/JCM.01582-19 10.1128/AAC.01207-19 MUCIN-LIKE DOMAIN GUT FEELINGS BEGIN CODING-COMPLETE LESSONS FROM OF EBOLA VIRUS IN CHILDHOOD: THE GENOME SEQUENCE MICROBES: WHAT GLYCOPROTEIN GUT METAGENOME OF YADA YADA CAN WE LEARN ENHANCES SELECTIVE CORRELATES WITH VIRUS, A NOVEL ABOUT EQUITY FROM ONCOLYTIC ACTIONS EARLY ENVIRONMENT, ALPHAVIRUS DETECTED UNCULTURABLE AGAINST BRAIN TUMORS CAREGIVING, AND IN AUSTRALIAN BACTERIA? BEHAVIOR MOSQUITOES Microbiology Resource Journal of Virology mBio Announcements mSphere 10.1128/JVI.01967-19 10.1128/mBio.02780-19 10.1128/MRA.01476-19 10.1128/mSphere.01046-20 HUMAN SKIN, ORAL, AND GUT MICROBIOMES PREDICT CHRONOLOGICAL AGE mSystems 10.1128/mSystems.00630-19 AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MICROBIOLOGY JOURNALS 5 2020 ANNUAL REPORT DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION ASM Journals is In 2020, the Journals Throughout 2020, we have committed to supporting, Committee collectively worked to further these promoting, and published an editorial outlining commitments, and our representing all microbial our commitments to the work will be ongoing. scientists. community.