Reviewer's report
Title:Ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel patients exhibit distinct abnormalities of
the gut microbiota
Version: 2Date:20 May 2010
Reviewer: S H Duncan
Reviewer's report:
The revised version of the manuscript by Noor et al is much improved and
therefore I would now recommend acceptance of this version following further
minor revisions.
Abstract: In the abstract it is stated that the number of subjects (n=46) differs
from that in the materials and methods section (n=50).
End of background section: The final sentence should be modified as a reduction
in microbial diversity in the disease state may be detrimental but loss of
Bacteroides compared to the control may not protective. The authors need to
consider whether or not their data illustrates changes in microbial composition
reflects the cause or consequence of disease.
Conclusion section: Again I would recommend that the authors should not over
claim the point that Bacteroides may be protective given that several other
studies have demonstrated that this is not the case but that instead their data
reveals a loss of diversity in the disease state. This loss of diversity may have a
number of significant consequences as, for example, dysbiosis may impact on
microbe-microbe interaction, microbe-host interactions and changes in microbial
metabolite profiles.
General: There are still a number of typographical errors in the manuscript that
needs to be corrected.
Reviewer's report
Title:Ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel patients exhibit distinct abnormalities of
the gut microbiota
Version: 2Date:20 May 2010
Reviewer: S H Duncan
Reviewer's report:
The revised version of the manuscript by Noor et al is much improved and
therefore I would now recommend acceptance of this version following further
minor revisions.
Abstract: In the abstract it is stated that the number of subjects (n=46) differs
from that in the materials and methods section (n=50).
End of background section: The final sentence should be modified as a reduction
in microbial diversity in the disease state may be detrimental but loss of
Bacteroides compared to the control may not protective. The authors need to
consider whether or not their data illustrates changes in microbial composition
reflects the cause or consequence of disease.
Conclusion section: Again I would recommend that the authors should not over
claim the point that Bacteroides may be protective given that several other
studies have demonstrated that this is not the case but that instead their data
reveals a loss of diversity in the disease state. This loss of diversity may have a
number of significant consequences as, for example, dysbiosis may impact on
microbe-microbe interaction, microbe-host interactions and changes in microbial
metabolite profiles.
General: There are still a number of typographical errors in the manuscript that
needs to be corrected.
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer's report
Title:Ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel patients exhibit distinct abnormalities of
the gut microbiota
Version: 2Date:20 May 2010
Reviewer: S H Duncan
Reviewer's report:
The revised version of the manuscript by Noor et al is much improved and
therefore I would now recommend acceptance of this version following further
minor revisions.
Abstract: In the abstract it is stated that the number of subjects (n=46) differs
from that in the materials and methods section (n=50).
End of background section: The final sentence should be modified as a reduction
in microbial diversity in the disease state may be detrimental but loss of
Bacteroides compared to the control may not protective. The authors need to
consider whether or not their data illustrates changes in microbial composition
reflects the cause or consequence of disease.
Conclusion section: Again I would recommend that the authors should not over
claim the point that Bacteroides may be protective given that several other
studies have demonstrated that this is not the case but that instead their data
reveals a loss of diversity in the disease state. This loss of diversity may have a
number of significant consequences as, for example, dysbiosis may impact on
microbe-microbe interaction, microbe-host interactions and changes in microbial
metabolite profiles.
General: There are still a number of typographical errors in the manuscript that
needs to be corrected.
assistant