Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42007334›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in public health2026

Uncloaking the black-box: the need for explainable artificial intelligence in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases applications.

Sreya Pulakkat Warrier, Venkatesh Narasimhan, Eline Meijer, Yukino Gütlin, Oliver Nolte, Balaji Veeraraghavan, Adrian Egli

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Antibiotic resistance inFrontiers in microbiology · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Sreya Pulakkat Warrier *Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, India.
Venkatesh Narasimhan *Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, India.
Eline MeijerInstitute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Yukino GütlinInstitute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Oliver NolteInstitute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Balaji Veeraraghavan *Department of Clinical Microbiology, Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, India.
Adrian Egli *Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance and emerging infectious diseases remain significant challenges for global health, driving a need for advanced technological solutions. Artificial Intelligence (AI) expanded opportunities in clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, and public health by harnessing vast, structured datasets. Despite impressive analytical capabilities, the clinical integration of AI-based applications is hindered by its opacity. The "black-box" aspect undermines adoption into healthcare workflows. Explainable AI (XAI) methods, including intrinsically interpretable models and post-hoc interpretability tools, such as SHAP, LIME, and Grad-CAM, can address these transparency challenges. This narrative review is intended to be a primer for the interested clinician. It systematically evaluates recent advancements in XAI in the context of clinical applications for clinical microbiology, infectious diseases, and public health. We further discuss the ethical and regulatory landscape shaping AI adoption, including the critical role of open, quality-controlled data, robust performance metrics, and clear interpretability to ensure safe and effective clinical implementation. Lastly, we propose future directions, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration, international data-sharing initiatives, and tailored AI literacy training to facilitate trustworthy, equitable, and impactful use of AI in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.

Indexed as

Artificial IntelligenceCommunicable DiseasesMicrobiologyHumansantimicrobial resistanceartificial intelligencedeep learningexplainable AI/XAIgenomicsinfectious diseaseslimemachine learning

Identifiers

PMID42007334
PMCPMC13082983

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.