Bacterial extracellular vesicles: A position paper by the microbial vesicles task force of the Chinese society for extracellular vesicles

Recently, the interest in extracellular vesicles released by bacteria has rapidly increased. Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) have been involved in bacteria-bacteria and bacteria-host interactions, which strengthen health or bring about various pathologies. However, BEV separation, characterization, and functional studies require the establishment of guidelines and further optimization in order to stimulate the development of science in BEV research and a following successful transformation into clinical applications. This position paper is authored by the Microbial Vesicles Task Force of the Chinese Society for Extracellular Vesicles (CSEV) composed of experienced medical laboratory specialists, microbiologists, virologists, biologists and material biologists who are actively engaged in BEV research. Herein, we present a concise description of BEV research and discover challenges and critical gaps in current BEV-based analyses for clinical applications. Finally, we also offer suggestions and considerations to improve experimental reproducibility and interoperability in BEV research to promote progress in the field.