Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Topic: Detection of Helicobacter pylori and its virulen ce genes (cagA, dupA, and vacA) 
among patients with gastroduodenal diseases in Chris Hani  Baragwanath Academic Hospital, 
South Africa  
 
Version: 0 Date: 04 Jan 2019  
 
Reviewer: Reviewer 2  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS:  
 
OBJECTIVE - Full research articles: is there a clear objective that addresses a testable research 
question(s) (brief or other article types: is there a clear objective)?  
Yes - there is a clear objective  
 
DESIGN - Is the current  approach (including controls and analysis protocols) appropriate for the 
objective?  
Yes - the approach is appropriate  
 
EXECUTION - Are the experiments and analyses performed with technical rigor to allow 
confidence in the results?  
Yes - experiments and an alyses were performed appropriately  
 
Statistics - Is the use of statistics in the manuscript appropriate?  
Yes - appropriate statistical analyses have been used in the study  
 
INTERPRETATION - Is the current interpretation/discussion of the results reasonabl e and not 
overstated?  
Yes - the author's interpretation is reasonable  
 
OVERALL MANUSCRIPT POTENTIAL - Is the current version of this work technically 
sound? If not, can revisions be made to make the work technically sound?  
Yes - current version is technica lly sound  
 
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS:  
 
GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a straight forward study that has generated credible data that 
can be used in future comparative analyses by others.  
 
The rationale and the objectives of the work are clearly stated.  
 
The materials and methods used are comprehensively described allowing for easy repetition by 
other researchers.  
The authors have discussed their data in relation to previous studies and have identified some 
limitations of their own study.  
 
The ethical gu idelines used are clearly stated and followed accordingly.  
 
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:  
The quality of the English is adequate, but it could still be improved for grammar, syntax and 
style.  
 
It would be helpful to have a better description of the CHB A hospital. Where exactly is it 
located? How big is the hospital? How many patients does it serve? Is it public or private? etc  
 
Page 12 line 4: What are "H. pylori risk occupations"? Please define.  
 
There is a very long bibliography of 65 references. The authors should consider reducing it.  
 
The figures (1 to 7) are not essential as the results are clearly stated in the text. The authors 
should consider removing them.  
 
Note: This reviewer report can be downloaded - see attached pdf file.  
 
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are r equired in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you rec ommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicat e the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
 
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents  relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you receiv ed reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests i n relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
This reviewer has b een recruited by a partner organization, Research Square. Reviewers with 
declared or apparent competing interests are not utilized for these reviews. This reviewer has 
agreed to publication of their comments online under a Creative Commons Attribution Lice nse 
attributed to Research Square and was paid a small honorarium for completing the review within 
a specified timeframe. Honoraria for reviews such as this are paid regardless of the reviewer 
recommendation.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the jou rnal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative C ommons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as  confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Topic: Detection of Helicobacter pylori and its virulen ce genes (cagA, dupA, and vacA) 
among patients with gastroduodenal diseases in Chris Hani  Baragwanath Academic Hospital, 
South Africa  
 
Version: 0 Date: 04 Jan 2019  
 
Reviewer: Reviewer 2  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS:  
 
OBJECTIVE - Full research articles: is there a clear objective that addresses a testable research 
question(s) (brief or other article types: is there a clear objective)?  
Yes - there is a clear objective  
 
DESIGN - Is the current  approach (including controls and analysis protocols) appropriate for the 
objective?  
Yes - the approach is appropriate  
 
EXECUTION - Are the experiments and analyses performed with technical rigor to allow 
confidence in the results?  
Yes - experiments and an alyses were performed appropriately  
 
Statistics - Is the use of statistics in the manuscript appropriate?  
Yes - appropriate statistical analyses have been used in the study  
 
INTERPRETATION - Is the current interpretation/discussion of the results reasonabl e and not 
overstated?  
Yes - the author's interpretation is reasonable  
 
OVERALL MANUSCRIPT POTENTIAL - Is the current version of this work technically 
sound? If not, can revisions be made to make the work technically sound?  
Yes - current version is technica lly sound  
 
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS:  
 
GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a straight forward study that has generated credible data that 
can be used in future comparative analyses by others.  
 
The rationale and the objectives of the work are clearly stated.  
 
The materials and methods used are comprehensively described allowing for easy repetition by 
other researchers.  
The authors have discussed their data in relation to previous studies and have identified some 
limitations of their own study.  
 
The ethical gu idelines used are clearly stated and followed accordingly.  
 
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:  
The quality of the English is adequate, but it could still be improved for grammar, syntax and 
style.  
 
It would be helpful to have a better description of the CHB A hospital. Where exactly is it 
located? How big is the hospital? How many patients does it serve? Is it public or private? etc  
 
Page 12 line 4: What are "H. pylori risk occupations"? Please define.  
 
There is a very long bibliography of 65 references. The authors should consider reducing it.  
 
The figures (1 to 7) are not essential as the results are clearly stated in the text. The authors 
should consider removing them.  
 
Note: This reviewer report can be downloaded - see attached pdf file.  
 
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are r equired in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you rec ommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicat e the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
 
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents  relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you receiv ed reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests i n relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
This reviewer has b een recruited by a partner organization, Research Square. Reviewers with 
declared or apparent competing interests are not utilized for these reviews. This reviewer has 
agreed to publication of their comments online under a Creative Commons Attribution Lice nse 
attributed to Research Square and was paid a small honorarium for completing the review within 
a specified timeframe. Honoraria for reviews such as this are paid regardless of the reviewer 
recommendation.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the jou rnal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative C ommons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as  confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: Topic: Detection of Helicobacter pylori and its virulen ce genes (cagA, dupA, and vacA) 
among patients with gastroduodenal diseases in Chris Hani  Baragwanath Academic Hospital, 
South Africa  
 
Version: 0 Date: 04 Jan 2019  
 
Reviewer: Reviewer 2  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
PEER REVIEWER ASSESSMENTS:  
 
OBJECTIVE - Full research articles: is there a clear objective that addresses a testable research 
question(s) (brief or other article types: is there a clear objective)?  
Yes - there is a clear objective  
 
DESIGN - Is the current  approach (including controls and analysis protocols) appropriate for the 
objective?  
Yes - the approach is appropriate  
 
EXECUTION - Are the experiments and analyses performed with technical rigor to allow 
confidence in the results?  
Yes - experiments and an alyses were performed appropriately  
 
Statistics - Is the use of statistics in the manuscript appropriate?  
Yes - appropriate statistical analyses have been used in the study  
 
INTERPRETATION - Is the current interpretation/discussion of the results reasonabl e and not 
overstated?  
Yes - the author's interpretation is reasonable  
 
OVERALL MANUSCRIPT POTENTIAL - Is the current version of this work technically 
sound? If not, can revisions be made to make the work technically sound?  
Yes - current version is technica lly sound  
 
PEER REVIEWER COMMENTS:  
 
GENERAL COMMENTS: This is a straight forward study that has generated credible data that 
can be used in future comparative analyses by others.  
 
The rationale and the objectives of the work are clearly stated.  
 
The materials and methods used are comprehensively described allowing for easy repetition by 
other researchers.  
The authors have discussed their data in relation to previous studies and have identified some 
limitations of their own study.  
 
The ethical gu idelines used are clearly stated and followed accordingly.  
 
ADDITIONAL REQUESTS/SUGGESTIONS:  
The quality of the English is adequate, but it could still be improved for grammar, syntax and 
style.  
 
It would be helpful to have a better description of the CHB A hospital. Where exactly is it 
located? How big is the hospital? How many patients does it serve? Is it public or private? etc  
 
Page 12 line 4: What are "H. pylori risk occupations"? Please define.  
 
There is a very long bibliography of 65 references. The authors should consider reducing it.  
 
The figures (1 to 7) are not essential as the results are clearly stated in the text. The authors 
should consider removing them.  
 
Note: This reviewer report can be downloaded - see attached pdf file.  
 
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are r equired in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you rec ommend an 
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please speci fy what aspects require further 
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
I am able to assess the statistics  
 
 
Quality of written English  
Please indicat e the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Needs some language corrections before being published  
 
 
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, f ees, funding, or salary from an 
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financial ly from the publication of this 
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation t hat may in any way gain or lose 
financially from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents  relating to the content of the 
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you receiv ed reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization that 
holds or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests i n relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of the above, write 'I declare that I have  no competing interests' 
below. If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
This reviewer has b een recruited by a partner organization, Research Square. Reviewers with 
declared or apparent competing interests are not utilized for these reviews. This reviewer has 
agreed to publication of their comments online under a Creative Commons Attribution Lice nse 
attributed to Research Square and was paid a small honorarium for completing the review within 
a specified timeframe. Honoraria for reviews such as this are paid regardless of the reviewer 
recommendation.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the jou rnal. I understan d that my name will be included 
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted f or publication, my named report 
including any attachments I upload will be posted on the website along with the authors' 
responses. I agree for my report to be made available under an Open Access Creative C ommons 
CC-BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). I understand that any comments 
which I do not wish to be included in my named report can be included as  confidential comments 
to the editors, which will not be published.  
 
I agree to the open peer review policy of the journal  
assistant