Washington, D.C.-The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) has appointed José A. Vázquez-Boland, DVM, Ph.D., as the inaugural editor in chief of ASM Animal Microbiology®, its new open-access journal. 
ASM Animal Microbiology will provide a dedicated forum for advancing research on animal-associated microbes-including prokaryotes, viruses, fungi and protozoa-and their impact on animal and public health. The journal is now accepting manuscript submissions and plans to publish its first articles in 2026.
Vázquez-Boland is Professor and Chair of Infectious Diseases at the University of Edinburgh's Institute for Regeneration and Repair in the United Kingdom (U.K.). A long-time ASM member, he served as an editor for mBio from 2016-2025, and was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2018. He holds a veterinary medical degree and a Ph.D. in microbiology from Complutense University of Madrid.
"I am proud to be the first editor in chief based in the U.K. in the more than 100-year history of ASM's influential publishing, which has shaped the microbial sciences for generations," said Vázquez-Boland. "ASM Animal Microbiology represents a much-needed platform at the intersection of microbial science, animal health and public health. I'm excited to help establish it as a hub for impactful, interdisciplinary research."
Under Vázquez-Boland's leadership, ASM Animal Microbiology will foster collaboration among microbiologists, veterinarians, medical and public health researchers and other experts. With a strong One Health approach, the journal will explore microbe-animal host-ecosystem interactions, with particular attention to infectious diseases of public health, veterinary and economic importance.
"Dr. Vázquez-Boland brings a rare combination of expertise in veterinary medicine, medical sciences, microbiology research and policy," said Melissa Junior, Executive Publisher at ASM. "He also extends ASM's global reach, with strong networks across Europe and the U.K., which will help build ASM Animal Microbiology into a truly international publication."
Vázquez-Boland begins his tenure as the inaugural editor in chief in September 2025.
